Balanced Health - Melissa Michelle Clay, FNP

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Balanced Health - Melissa Michelle Clay, FNP

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Most women we see have been told “everything looks fine” — but they still don’t feel like themselves.

We uncover the root cause of weight loss resistance, hormone imbalance, and fatigue — so you can finally feel like yourself again.

11/03/2026

Your labs can look perfectly normal while your weight refuses to move.

Standard panels check glucose and A1C — the late warnings. They often skip fasting insulin, the early one. I've seen women do everything right for years before anyone checked the driver.

That's why my consultations start with the right labs, not the usual ones.

Your initial consultation is free.

https://l.bttr.to/bj8Lv

11/02/2026

Something is changing at Balanced Health.

I help Kentucky women lose weight by identifying and addressing the root cause.

Not another diet. Not another plan you'll quit by February. We start with why — hormones, insulin resistance, sleep, stress — and address that. Not just the number on the scale.

Your initial consultation is free. If you're tired of guessing, start here.

https://l.bttr.to/bj8Lv

10/29/2026

Would testosterone therapy actually help me?

After spending this month talking about testosterone, low libido, and HSDD, this is probably the most important question.

And the answer is: maybe.

Testosterone plays an important role in women’s health, but symptoms like low libido, low energy, decreased motivation, or loss of strength don’t automatically mean you need testosterone.

I don’t believe in treating a lab number.

I want to know what we’re actually trying to treat.

That means looking at your symptoms, health history, medications, menopausal status, other hormones, and labs—including total testosterone, free testosterone, and SHBG.

And if testosterone therapy is appropriate, more isn’t better. The goal is to use the lowest effective dose, monitor your response, and adjust when necessary.

This week in the Balanced Health Library, I’m breaking down what testosterone therapy can—and can’t—do for women.

👉 Read: Testosterone for Women: What It Can—and Can’t—Do >https://f.mtr.cool/2ey3czjhf6

Don’t treat the hormone. Treat the woman.

10/27/2026

Testosterone cream, injections, or pellets—which is best for women?

There isn't one answer that's right for everyone.

Testosterone can be given in several different ways, and each has pros and cons.

Cream: This is where I typically start. It allows me to begin with a very low dose and gradually adjust it based on symptoms, labs, and how the patient is responding. If side effects occur, the dose can also be reduced or stopped relatively easily.

Injections: Another option that allows the dose to be adjusted, but it requires injections and careful dosing because women generally require much smaller amounts of testosterone than men.

Pellets: Some women LOVE the convenience of pellets. They're inserted under the skin and release testosterone over several months, so there's no daily application or regular injection. But they require a minor procedure, and once they're inserted, the dose isn't easily adjusted. If testosterone levels are too high or side effects develop, you can't simply turn the dose down the next day.

That's one of the biggest reasons I generally prefer to start women with cream. It gives us flexibility while we're figuring out the lowest dose that provides the desired benefit without unnecessary side effects.

There isn't a universally “best” form of testosterone.

The best option is the one that makes sense for the individual woman.

10/26/2026

Can women get too much testosterone? Absolutely.

When testosterone therapy is appropriately dosed and monitored, the goal is not to push a woman’s testosterone as high as possible.

If testosterone exposure becomes excessive, women may experience androgenic side effects such as:

Acne or oily skin
Increased facial or body hair
Scalp hair thinning
Increased body odor
Voice changes
Cl****al enlargement

Some effects may improve after the dose is reduced or discontinued, while voice deepening and cl****al enlargement can potentially be irreversible—which is one reason appropriate dosing and monitoring matter.

This is also why I prefer to start low and gradually adjust rather than beginning with an aggressive dose.

With hormone therapy, more is not better.

The goal is the lowest effective dose that provides the desired benefit without unnecessary side effects.

10/25/2026

Will testosterone help you lose weight?

I get this question a lot, and the short answer is:

Testosterone is NOT a weight-loss medication.

If a woman has an appropriate indication for testosterone therapy, treatment may support aspects of health such as s*xual function, and testosterone is biologically involved in muscle and bone. But I don't prescribe testosterone simply because someone wants to lose weight.

And I definitely wouldn't look at stubborn weight and assume:

“You just need more testosterone.”

Weight-loss resistance can involve insulin resistance, thyroid dysfunction, menopause-related changes, sleep, stress, nutrition, activity, medications—and often several things at once.

Testosterone may be one piece of a woman's overall hormone picture, but it's not a shortcut to weight loss.

If your goal is improving body composition, don't overlook the basics that have a much bigger role: adequate protein, strength training, metabolic health, and preserving muscle while losing fat.

Treat what actually needs treating—not a hormone because you hope it'll make the scale move.

10/22/2026

I hear women say this all the time:

“I just assumed this was normal at my age.”

But here's something important that many women don't know:

There is no “normal” amount of s*x you're supposed to want.

If your s*x drive is low and you're perfectly happy with it, there may be nothing that needs to be fixed.

But if your desire has significantly decreased and it bothers YOU, that's different.

Persistent low s*xual desire that causes personal distress may actually be something called Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD).

And while hormones—including testosterone—can sometimes be part of the picture, low libido can have many different causes.

This week in the Balanced Health Library, I'm talking about HSDD, what can cause low s*xual desire, and why you don't necessarily have to accept losing your libido as “just part of getting older.”

👇 Read: Low Libido Isn't “Just Part of Getting Older”: When It May Be HSDD: https://f.mtr.cool/tyhv5dczqx

10/20/2026

If you’re struggling to lose weight, insulin may be one of the most important hormones you’re NOT thinking about.

Insulin has an important job. When glucose enters your bloodstream, insulin helps move that glucose into your cells where it can be used for energy or stored for later.

But when insulin levels stay elevated too often, it can make it harder for your body to access stored fat for energy.

And here's the part that surprises a lot of women:

Your fasting glucose can look “normal” while your insulin is already higher than I’d like to see.

That’s one reason I often look beyond glucose and A1C when evaluating weight-loss resistance.

If you’ve been eating less, trying harder, and still wondering why your body seems to be fighting you, I created a training that explains how insulin affects weight loss and what you can actually do to improve it.

👉 Check out my Insulin Resistance Training here: https://f.mtr.cool/mqo1o78y1y

10/18/2026

About 1 in 10 women experience Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD).

And yet, many women have never even heard of it.

HSDD is more than simply having a lower s*x drive than you used to. It involves persistent or recurrent low s*xual desire that causes you personal distress. ([PubMed][1])

That last part matters.

If your s*x drive is low and you aren't bothered by it, that alone doesn't mean you have HSDD.

But if you've noticed a significant decrease in s*xual desire, fewer s*xual thoughts or fantasies, little interest in initiating s*x—and you miss that part of yourself or the change bothers you—it's worth talking about.

There can be multiple contributors to low s*xual desire, including hormonal changes, medications, medical conditions, psychological factors, relationship factors, and menopause.

And no, women shouldn't simply be told:

“That's just what happens when you get older.”

Low desire that causes distress deserves a real evaluation.

👉 Wondering whether your symptoms could fit HSDD? Take my free HSDD assessment here: https://f.mtr.cool/xze1qzyb2t

10/15/2026

Her total testosterone was 25—so at first glance, it didn't look low.

But that wasn't the whole story.

When we looked deeper:

Total Testosterone: 25 ng/dL
Free Testosterone: less than 0.5
SHBG: 126

Her SHBG was relatively high, meaning more of her circulating testosterone was bound and unavailable to tissues. Her free testosterone—the portion available for biological activity—was very low.

And her symptoms supported what we were seeing in the labs.

On her Greene Scale, her loss-of-interest-in-s*x scores improved over time:

3 → 2 → 2 → 1

If we had only checked her total testosterone, we could have missed an important part of the picture.

This is why I like looking at total testosterone, free testosterone AND SHBG when evaluating androgen status in women.

One lab number rarely tells the whole story.

Address

Mayfield, KY
42066

Telephone

+12702103158

Website

http://www.restorebalancedhealth.com/

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