Estrogen, Progesterone, Testosterone: The Three Hormones Your Body Runs On

Free on Substack: new lectures, patient guides, and Dr. Bosserman's answers to your questions → https://drbosserman.substack.com/subs... Most women are taught that estrogen is for women and testosterone is for men, and that the three hormones the body runs on are "sex hormones." Dr. Linda Bosserman, a medical oncologist with a PhD in clinical sexology, explains why that framing is wrong and what it costs. Estrogen, progesterone and testosterone act on the brain, bones, heart, muscle, bladder and skin. Once you see that, every conversation about losing them, blocking them, or replacing them changes. This is Lecture 1 of the CHOICES Hormone Lecture Series, recorded in full and free to watch. WHAT THIS LECTURE ANSWERS • What estrogen, progesterone and testosterone each do in the body • Which of the three is the most abundant across a woman's life, which surprises almost everyone • What happens when a medicine blocks one of them, and why the symptoms arrive together • Why "endocrine therapy" after breast cancer is hormone-blocking therapy, and what that distinction changes in an appointment CHAPTERS 00:00 Who I am, and why I recorded this 00:52 Whole-body hormones, not "sex hormones" 01:40 "It's not hormone therapy. It's hormone-blocking therapy." 02:21 Treating 100 women, and why your own risk is the number 03:35 One patient, a year in, and the answer she was given 04:50 The three questions this lecture answers 05:45 Progesterone: what it actually does 07:26 Testosterone: the one you have the most of 08:24 Estradiol, and the three estrogens 09:55 When the losses actually start 12:46 The three hormones across a woman's life 14:15 What estradiol does in tissue, bone and brain 20:07 There is no blood level. You have to ask the woman. 22:50 What testosterone actually improves 29:23 Why the old studies do not describe today's hormones 30:15 What is FDA-approved, and what is not 32:41 Lifespan, healthspan, and the open questions 35:22 Why this matters for you 38:32 What to ask at your next appointment 41:08 What Lectures 2 and 3 cover FOLLOW CHOICES ON SUBSTACK Everything in this series lives on Substack: the written version of this lecture, Lectures 2 and 3, the companion guides, and Dr. Bosserman's patient and clinician guides. Subscribing is free. Subscribe: https://drbosserman.substack.com/subs... This lecture on Substack: https://drbosserman.substack.com/p/th... THE COMPANION GUIDE Nine pages: the corrected vocabulary, the "where it works" tables for all three hormones, and a worksheet that sorts your own symptoms by which hormone they belong to, to take to your next appointment. Included with a paid CHOICES subscription: https://drbosserman.substack.com/p/th... Or on its own for $19: https://guides.drbosserman.com/l/L1_C... ABOUT DR. BOSSERMAN Linda D. Bosserman, MD, FACP, FASCO is a board-certified medical oncologist who has practiced for four decades and holds a PhD in clinical sexology. She is a former Editor-in-Chief of JCO Oncology Practice and a former member of the ASCO Board of Directors. She co-authored "Menopausal Hormone Therapy After Breast Cancer: Personalization, Not Prohibition" in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (2026;44:1665-1669). CHOICES by Dr. Bosserman™ provides education only. This is not medical advice or the practice of medicine, does not establish a physician-patient relationship, and is not a substitute for individualized care. Talk with your own healthcare provider before starting, changing, or stopping any treatment.