What are the benefits of testosterone for women who take hormone treatment (HRT)?
Testosterone can be taken alongside estrogen and/or progesterone to treat perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms
Like the hormones estradiol (estrogen) and progesterone, testosterone plays numerous important roles throughout your body.
Levels of testosterone naturally decline in women after the age of 20 and drop again during menopause. You have estradiol, progesterone and testosterone receptors all over your body so the decline in levels can affect your bone, brain, circulation, urinary, genital and nervous systems.
Can testosterone help my sex drive?
In women, testosterone is best known for its impact on libido. The 2024 NICE menopause guidelines say that testosterone can be considered for menopausal women with low sexual desire – if hormone treatment alone has not been effective [1].
Testosterone doesn’t just improve the frequency of desire for sex, it also helps to improve sexual response, increasing sexual arousal levels. In trials, it has been found to be an effective treatment for hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), a sexual dysfunction that’s occurrence peaks in women aged 45-64 [2]. HSDD is deemed as a total lack of interest in sex, lasting more than six months, that has consequences on your relationship and/or self-esteem.
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Can testosterone help other menopausal symptoms?
Women who take hormone treatment to treat their perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms often report further improvements when they take testosterone too. Benefits of testosterone for women in menopause that may be experienced include improved: energy and stamina; muscle mass and strength; concentration, clarity of thought and memory; and sleep.
A study by Newson Research looked at 510 women with persistent low libido, cognitive and negative mood symptoms, and who had already been using hormone treatment (transdermal estrogen with or without a progestogen) [3]. The women were then treated with transdermal bioidentical (body identical) testosterone gel or cream for four months.
The frequency and severity of 10 symptoms was self-reported – all 10 symptoms significantly improved. While 52% of women reported an improvement in libido, nine other symptoms – all cognitive and mood symptoms – also improved.
The symptoms most likely to improve were ‘loss of interest in most things’ (56% of women reported an improvement) and ‘crying spells’ (55%). This suggests that testosterone may have benefits beyond the treatment of HSDD in postmenopausal women.
You can read the full study on Dr Louise Newson's website here.
Are there other benefits of testosterone for women?
While most research on the effects of testosterone on women has primarily focused on libido, one review of research concludes there are promising insights into the benefits of low-dose testosterone therapy, typically combines with estrogen, on cardiovascular risk [4]. It cites possible improvements in body composition, insulin sensitivity, inflammatory markers, and cholesterol.
It’s known that testosterone plays an important role in female health but more research is needed to address benefits of testosterone supplementation, alongside hormone treatment, during perimenopause and menopause.
To explore the importance of testosterone for women in more detail, read Dr Louise Newson's article here.
