Testosterone
Therapyin Women:Myths,Realities &ResponsibleCare”
Dr.StevenR.Goldstein,MenopauseSpecialistNYC
WhyAreWeTalkingAbout TestosteroneforWomen?
Testosterone:Notjusta“male”hormone
Increasedpublicattentionviamedia&influencers
Confusionandmisinformation
“Testosteroneistypicallyseenasamalehormone,butwomenproduce itthroughouttheirlives.Itpeaksintheir20sandthengradually declines.What’schangedistheculturalattention—especiallyonsocial media.Suddenly,testosteronetherapyiseverywhere—beingpromoted byinfluencers,celebrities,andevenwellnessgurus.Butaswe’llsee, muchofthisbuzzisnotbackedbysoundmedicalevidence.”
Testosteronein Women–TheBasics
Producedbyovaries&adrenalglands
Levelsfluctuateoveralifetime
Smallincreaseagainin70s
“Womenproducetestosteronefromtwomainsources—the ovariesandtheadrenalglands—evenaftermenopause. Althoughlevelsnaturallydeclinewithage,thereisoftena slightuptickinthe70s.Thishormoneplaysaroleinmany bodilyfunctions,butit’snotthemiraclesolutionit’s sometimesadvertisedtobe.”
HowWomen’sBodiesProduceTestosterone
TheRiseof“Menopause Marketing”
MenopauseGoesMainstream(andCommercial)
Socialmedia+celebrityinfluence
Products,books,supplements,hormones
Onlinehormonetherapywithoutexams
“Menopauseisnowaboomingindustry.Influencersselleverything fromhormonekitstosupplements,oftenwithlittletonoregulation. Onlineplatformsofferhormoneprescriptionswithoutphysicalexams orlabtesting.Testosteroneisparticularlytrendy—withclaimsabout boostingmood,cognition,andhearthealth—manyofwhichare unsubstantiated.”
WhattheScience ActuallySays
Evidence-BasedBenefits(andLimits)
HSDD:Theonlyprovenindication
Oneextrasexuallysatisfyingevent/month
Nosolidevidenceformoodormemoryboost
“Scientificstudiesshowthattestosteronetherapyhas onlydemonstratedmeasurablebenefitinwomenwitha conditionknownasHSDD—HypoactiveSexualDesire Disorder.Clinicaltrialsshowedonemoresexually satisfyingeventpermonth,onaverage.Claimsabout moodenhancement,musclestrength,ormemory improvementsarenotbackedbyrigorousresearch.So whilesomebenefitmaybereal,it’slimitedandspecific.”
UnderstandingHSDD
HypoactiveSexualDesireDisorderExplained
Lossofdesire+distress
Oftenemotional,relationship,orpartner-related
Mustruleoutnon-hormonalcauses
“Manywomenreportreducedinterestinsexduringor aftermenopause—butthisdoesn’talwaysmean somethingismedicallywrong.Often,there’snodistress aboutit,especiallyinlong-termrelationships.HSDDis diagnosedwhenthelackofdesirecausesemotional distress.It’simportanttoconsiderrelationshipdynamics, partnerhealth(likeED),orcommunicationissuesbefore jumpingtohormonetherapy.”
WhatAboutFemaleViagra?
WhyIsn’tThereaFemaleEquivalent?
IntrinsaPatch(2004)–FDArejected
Libigel(2017)–failedtooutperformplacebo
Womenneedcontinuousdosingvs.men’s“bluepill”
“It’snotthatthemedicalworldisignoringwomen’ssexualhealth. Therealityis,drugdevelopmenthastried—hard.TheIntrinsaPatch wasrejectedbytheFDAoversafetyconcerns.Libigeldidn’tbeatthe placebo.Thechallengeisbiological—menrespondquicklytoEDmeds, whilewomenrequirecontinuouslow-dosehormonalexposurefor anyeffect.”
Compounding,Pellets &TheRisks
Off-LabelUse&PotentialDangers
Compoundedcreams&under-skinpellets
Oftenusedwithoutproperregulation
Riskofirreversiblesideeffects
“Manyclinicsnowoffercompoundedtestosteronecreamsorlongactingpellets—oftenthroughanti-agingprovidersormedspas.
Thesearen’tFDA-regulatedandcanleadtooverdosing.Sideeffects ofhightestosteroneinwomencanbesevereandsometimes irreversible—includingacne,voicedeepening,hairlossonthescalp, andfacialhairgrowth.There’salsoincreasedriskforuterinechanges andpossiblyprecancerousconditions.”
ASaferOption
Australia’sFemale-FormulatedTestosteroneCream
FDA-approvedinAustralia
Specificallyformulatedforwomen
Saferdosing,quality-controlled
“Recently,atestosteronecreamformulatedspecifically forwomenwasapprovedinAustralia.It’snot compounded,sothedosingissaferandconsistent.Dr Goldstein,anHRTSpecialistNYCstartedprescribingthis tocarefullyselectedpatientswithHSDD.About50%of themreportbenefits,whiletheothersnoticelittlechange.
Butatleastweknowwhatthey’reusingissafeand properlymeasured.”
FinalThoughts
SeparatingHypefromHelp
Testosteronetherapyisnotforeveryone
HSDD=onlyvalidindication(withdistress)
Alwaysseekevidence-based,supervisedcare
“Theconversationaroundtestosteroneinwomenisfilled withmisinformation.Theonlyclear,evidence-basedreason fortherapyisHSDD,andeventhen,underprofessional guidance.DrGoldsteinurgeswomentobecautiousof internet-basedtreatmentsandavoidself-medicatingor over-promising‘miracle’solutions.
Ifyouareawomaninterestedin findingoutmoreabout testosteronetherapyorare menopausalandseekingrelief frommenopausal symptoms,thenschedulea consultationwithDrStevenR. Goldstein,amenopause specialistinNYC.