The 6β-hydroxylation of testosterone is catalyzed mainly by CYP3A4 and to a lesser extent CYP3A5 and is responsible for 75 to 80% of cytochrome P450-mediated testosterone metabolism. In the hepatic 17-ketosteroid pathway of testosterone metabolism, testosterone is converted in the liver by 5α-reductase and 5β-reductase into 5α-DHT and the inactive 5β-DHT, respectively. Androsterone and etiocholanolone are then glucuronidated and to a lesser extent sulfated similarly to testosterone. Approximately 50% of testosterone is metabolized via conjugation into testosterone glucuronide and to a lesser extent testosterone sulfate by glucuronosyltransferases and sulfotransferases, respectively. Finally, increasing levels of testosterone through a negative feedback loop act on the hypothalamus and pituitary to inhibit the release of GnRH and FSH/LH, respectively. If your testosterone levels are low, TRT may help by increasing muscle mass, reducing body fat, and improving metabolic health. High insulin and leptin levels make it impossible to lose weight and high testosterone levels cause all of the side effects listed above. High leptin levels also are seen in women with PCOS (8) and many women with leptin resistance also have insulin resistance (which further worsens testosterone levels by itself). If testosterone rises above the female physiologic range, the risk of androgenic adverse effects increases and the treatment logic starts to break down (Parish et al., Climacteric, 2021; Parish and Kling, Menopause, 2023). For women, the goal is to avoid supraphysiologic exposure and maintain levels within the normal female range if therapy is used at all (Travison et al., Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2017; Davis et al., Journal of Sexual Medicine, 2019). And by checking your testosterone levels, you can gain a better understanding of your own metabolism – paving the way for discoveries that allow you to improve your health. Regular exercise – and weight lifting in particular – is one effective method to bring your testosterone levels to a normal range. This concept is true for sex hormones in women (estrogen and progesterone). So when one hormone is imbalanced it will ultimately drag down (or up) other hormones in the body. Generally, the higher your fasting insulin levels are the worse your symptoms will be. Some women can get away with some mild hair growth on the face, while others face serious symptoms like darkening of the skin, abdominal/visceral fat deposits, and extreme mood swings. That means your metabolism slows down, your brain makes you think you are constantly hungry and your body refuses to burn fat. Anything that increases any of these hormones (even if you take these as supplements!) can increase your total testosterone. This condition is less common, but anything that cranks up adrenal production can ultimately lead to high testosterone levels. It’s also worth pointing out that exercising can actually balance testosterone (5) levels to boost libido and muscle mass. This is most likely due to the effects of exercise on insulin levels (4). The male generative glands also contain Sertoli cells, which require testosterone for spermatogenesis. In contrast to testosterone, DHEA and DHEA sulfate have been found to act as high-affinity agonists of these receptors. Greatly differing amounts of testosterone prenatally, at puberty, and throughout life account for a share of biological differences between males and females. The areas of binding are called hormone response elements (HREs), and influence transcriptional activity of certain genes, producing the androgen effects. The relationship between sex steroids and SHBG in physiological and pathological conditions is complex, as various factors may influence the levels of plasma SHBG, affecting bioavailability of testosterone. The male brain is masculinized by the aromatization of testosterone into estradiol, which crosses the blood–brain barrier and enters the male brain, whereas female fetuses have α-fetoprotein, which binds the estrogen so that female brains are not affected. The levels remain in a pubertal range for a few months, but usually reach the barely detectable levels of childhood by 4–7 months of age. Specifically, testosterone, along with anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) promote growth of the Wolffian duct and degeneration of the Müllerian duct respectively. Both testosterone and DHT bind to an androgen receptor; however, DHT has a stronger binding affinity than testosterone and may have more androgenic effect in certain tissues at lower levels. Testosterone can either directly exert effects on target tissues or be metabolized by 5α-reductase into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) or aromatized to estradiol (E2). In addition to its role as a natural hormone, testosterone is used as a medication to treat hypogonadism and breast cancer. In humans and most other vertebrates, testosterone is secreted primarily by the testicles of males and, to a lesser extent, the ovaries of females.