|
 Interview with Susan Rako
 Join our health
discussion groups  Sue:
Thank you Dr. Rako for your observations and also I would like to thank you for
the permission to share an excerpt of your book with us. I'm sure that many of the readers
will be interested in asking you some questions.
Recognizing
Testosterone Deficiency
Excerpted with permission of the author from
"Hormone of Desire" by Susan Rako ©1999 All rights reserved. May not be
reproduced without the expressed written permission of the author.
  " How do I
know if I have enough testosterone?"
The most obvious signs of testosterone deficiency are:
- Overall decreased sexual energy.
- Diminished vital energy and sense of well-being.
- Decreased sensitivity to sexual stimulation in the clitoris.
- Decreased sensitivity to sexual stimulation in the nipples.
- Overall decreased arousability and capacity for orgasm.
- Thinning and losing of pubic hair (in some women).
Certainly, each woman must evaluate her sexual arousability
in the full context of her physical, emotional, historical, and relational circumstances.
Are you producing enough testosterone?
Here are the questions to ask yourself in evaluating the possibility that your
body may not be producing sufficient testosterone:
- What is my familiar level of vital energy, sense of
well-being, sexual desire, and pleasure?
- Am I suffering a significant loss in the familiar level of
energy, well-being, sexual desire, and pleasure?
- Do I particularly notice lack of arousability in my nipples
and clitoris?
- Do I notice not only that I have no particular interest in
making love, but also ( if this has been part of your sexual life) that I do not feel like
masturbating?
- In even the most conducive-to-me circumstances does it take
a long time for me to be aroused?
- If I do have an orgasm, is it diminished in intensity?
- Have I noticed ( if this has been a part of your sexual
life) a lack of sexual dreams or fantasies.
Each of us
has her own particular adjustment to the sexual aspect of life, with her own familiar
rhythms of sexual feelings, fantasies, dreams, and activities. The answers to these
questions must be considered in the full context of your personal sexual history and your
present circumstances.
We all know that life circumstances can certainly disrupt sexual rhythms, but the
"wipe out" of sexual desire that results from a critical reduction in
testosterone is different from the fluctuations we experience with the various ups and
downs of life and relationships. If your level of testosterone drops below a
critical point, which may occur several years before menopause, your familiar levels and
expressions of sexual desire may drop off notably, sometimes over a period of only a few
months. This occurrence is most apparent for women whose other life circumstances
remain stable.
A common concern among women who have been previously satisfied with their intimate
relationships, in the face of the radical loss of sexual desire, is expressed in the
question " Can this mean that I really don't love my partner?" And
the partners of women who suffer hormonal loss of sexual desire express their anguish as
well. As one husband said, "I felt she was no longer in love with me.
We made love occasionally, but it was not the same at all. As I got the cold
shoulder, I got less and less likely to even try."
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Interview
"Making Love
the Way We Used to...Or Better"
interview
with Laurie Ashner and Alan M. Altman MD
hosted by Sue Spataro, RN, BSN
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the last 15 years, intimate relations at midlife has made it to the talk show circuit.
Laurie Ashner and Dr. Alan Altman have worked together to write the complete guide to
regaining the intimacy, love, and yes, the fun that you shared before hitting 35. Laurie,
as an established health author and Dr. Altman a prominent gynecologist and expert on
midlife sexuality, have written an in depth, easy to read, and most importantly, easy to
use handbook. Find out more about the science of intimacy and what you can do to improve
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For Women Only : A Revolutionary Guide to Overcoming Sexual Dysfunction and Reclaiming
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150 Most-Asked Questions About Midlife Sex, Love, and Intimacy:
What Women and Their Partners Really Want to Know
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The author, Ruth Jacobowitz speaks: I wrote this book to help women and men understand and
work within the changes the occur biologically and psychologically at midlife. The 150
Most-Asked Questions are the top questions asked by the more than 5000 people surveyed for
the book by questionnaire and the many many persons interviewed. |
