Dr Angela DeRosa talks testosterone

Pellets (yes, pellets), levels, insulin resistance, longevity and more

Dr Angela DeRosa is a doctor of osteopathy, integrative physician and hormone specialist with three offices in Arizona. She has a unique and long-built take on the current peri/menopause landscape, as she is a doctor of osteopathy – yes that is a real doctor – with a special interest in hormones, particularly testosterone. 

She also worked as senior medical director for Procter & Gamble, helping the company as they launched osteoporosis treatments and tried – and failed – to get a testosterone patch approved for use in women with low libido. Next year marks the 20th anniversary of the US FDA rejecting P&G’s application for Intrinsa. (They just approved an over-the-counter gel for erectile dysfunction though, so cool.) 

During her years with the pharmaceutical division, Dr DeRosa saw first-hand how proper medical care and treatment for women has been thwarted due to politics, gender bias and poorly trained physicians. Her mission is to teach us about what’s happening to physically, how to obtain proper treatment, and change the paradigm of medicine so women everywhere can live healthier and happier lives. She also has a lot to say about the current discourse, belief system and paradigm on women’s hormone therapy. 

Dr DeRosa is the author of How Your Doctor Is Slowly Killing You: A Woman's Health Survival Guide and is my guest on the Hotflash inc podcast this weekend. Dr DeRosa discusses her view and experience of testosterone, which she says few doctors understand. This includes her endorsement of and cautions about the controversial use of pellets, as well as the important role of the thyroid, the vital interplay with blood sugar and the road to insulin resistance, and much more. 

Here is your sneak peek of the episode and an edited version of our conversation.