Product Description

This is the book you've been hearing about! Dr. Susan Rako has brought her groundbreaking message about the miraculous benefits of testosterone--the female hormone--to women and physicians around the world via Oprah!, Dateline NBC, the New York Times, the Congress on Women's Health, and the Today show, among others.
        
Dr. Rako is at the forefront of the research into testosterone replacement therapy, educating women and their doctors about the essential role testosterone plays in a woman's sexual and physical well-being.
        
Millions of women experience a traumatic loss of sexual desire during menopause. Dr. Rako's breakthrough research has brought to light the fact that the female body produces significant amounts of testosterone that are crucial to the healthy functioning of every woman's libido--linking decreased testosterone levels at the onset of menopause to diminished sex drive--as well as to the health of her bones and heart.
        
In this revised and updated edition, Dr. Rako introduces crucial new information that points to the need for adequate levels of testosterone as a key factor in protecting women from heart attack and stroke. The Hormone of Desire has become the standard-bearer for a new age of women's health, giving women and their doctors the opportunity to make informed decisions.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #286083 in Books
• Published on: 1999-02-09
• Released on: 1999-02-09
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 7.99" h x .30" w x 5.20" l, .38 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Testosterone, the hormone responsible for libidinal energy, is produced by women mainly in the ovaries. When the ovaries shut down at menopause, the amount of testosterone they produce is reduced by half, resulting, for many women, in diminished sexual desire, thinning pubic hair, flatness of mood, dry skin and decreased mental sharpness, among other effects. In this sure-to-be-controversial book, Rako, a psychiatrist, suggests that gradually developing testosterone deficiency is a treatable condition that ignorance, fear, ideological resistance and sexual politics have prevented the medical community, as well as the general population, from dealing with. Acknowledging the need for controlled clinical studies on supplemental testosterone, as there are for hormonal supplements of estrogen and progesterone, Rako advocates the prudent use of supplemental testosterone for women who need it and offers a thorough discussion of the uses, benefits and risks of testosterone therapy.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
"Conditions of testosterone deficiency do exist, need attention, and can be treated," Rako maintains as she draws on her practical experience as a psychiatrist as well as her thorough knowledge of relevant medical literature to discuss the usefulness of small doses of testosterone in helping women through menopause and stimulating positive sexual and psychological feelings. Women produce some testosterone just as men produce some estrogen. Yet many physicians, especially male gynecologists and endocrinologists, believe that giving testosterone to women is unnatural and potentially dangerous. Rako points out, however, that women do not display a simple dose-response curve for such treatment. This means that physicians not only have to overcome feelings of unnaturalness if they wish to aid some of their female patients but also must take the time and effort to match dosage to each individual's need. William Beatty

Ingram
A psychiatrist in private practice for 25 years reveals that testosterone is a key hormonal element in every woman's body and that menopause-related deficiencies can rob her of sexual desire and vitality.