Testosterone for women is about much more than libido. This important hormone has effects throughout the body, including the brain, bones and muscles, and levels naturally decline with age.

Here’s what you need to know about testosterone in women, the symptoms associated with low testosterone, benefits of testosterone treatment and what the latest research tells us.

What is testosterone and why is it important for women?

Testosterone is a hormone that plays an important role in women’s health: women produce testosterone throughout their lives and have testosterone receptors throughout their body.

Testosterone is perhaps best known for its role in sexual desire and arousal, but its effects extend well beyond libido.

How is testosterone produced in women?

Testosterone is the most biologically active hormone a woman has in her body. In women, testosterone is produced by the ovaries, adrenal glands, the brain and other tissues. Levels of testosterone are higher than of estradiol when women are younger. Testosterone levels usually start to decline around the late 20s and early 30s. Women who have their ovaries removed, or have treatments that affect ovarian function, can experience a more sudden fall in testosterone.

What are the benefits of testosterone for women?

Testosterone receptors are found in every cell throughout the body. Testosterone has roles in sexual function, muscle mass and strength, bone health and brain function, and can also influence mood, energy and cognition. It is the most biologically active hormone in women. It helps the immune system to work well and also works to improve mitochondrial function too.

What are the symptoms of low testosterone in women?

Low testosterone can be associated with reduced sexual desire and arousal, as well as symptoms such as low energy, fatigue, reduced muscle strength and changes in mood, reduced motivation, concentration and memory. Muscle and joint pains, vasomotor symptoms, urinary symptoms, headaches and worsening migraines can also occur in women with low testosterone.

Can women take testosterone treatment?

Yes. Testosterone can be prescribed to women when clinically appropriate, usually as a cream or gel applied to the skin. Testosterone can be used alongside estrogen and progesterone as part of a hormone treatment (HRT) regime or it can be used on its own.

Blood tests are used to monitor testosterone levels and help ensure they remain within the physiological female range.

In the UK, NICE recommends considering testosterone supplementation for menopausal women with low sexual desire if hormone treatment (HRT) alone has not been effective. However, hormone specialists and, increasingly, GPs and other clinicians are realising the widespread benefits of off-label testosterone replacement for many women.

What does our research tell us about testosterone for women?

I have been a physician for 31 years. My Newson Clinic is the largest women's hormone clinic in the wold and we have over 44,000 women who have been prescribed testosterone over the past 10 years.

Traditionally, women’s health has been both underserved – and under researched.

At Newson Research, we are building the evidence base around testosterone treatment for women, including exploring benefits beyond sexual function, and safety.

We have written up 19 studies about testosterone, including about its safety and beneficial effects especially with improving mental health symptoms, memory and brain fog.

In our newly-published study of 279 women already taking transdermal estradiol, with or without progesterone, we found that adding transdermal testosterone was associated with significant improvements in 15 of 24 symptoms assessed after three months. These included musculoskeletal pain, vaginal dryness, hot flushes, tearfulness and headaches, as well as libido. You can read more about the research here.

Our research has also explored the potential effects of testosterone on mood and cognition. In a study of 510 women who continued to experience symptoms despite taking hormone treatment (HRT), we found significant improvements across all nine mood and cognitive symptoms assessed after four months of testosterone treatment. Overall, 47% reported improved mood, 39% improved cognition and 52% improved libido. Read the research here.

We have also studied testosterone use among women with a history of breast cancer. In a small study of 47 perimenopausal and menopausal women – most of whom had previously had estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer – testosterone treatment was associated with improvements in a range of symptoms, including low mood, anxiety and panic, night sweats, palpitations and libido. Learn more here.

Safety is another important focus of our research. An observational study of more than 13,000 women using hormone treatments recorded just seven cases of venous thromboembolism (VTE), all in women who had other risk factors for blood clots. Among more than 11,000 women using transdermal testosterone, we found no increased risk of blood clots. Read more about the research here.

The incidence of side effects such as facial hair growth, voice changes and enlargement of the clitoris are very uncommon in women who are prescribed the right dose for them.

Together, these findings add to the growing evidence that the testosterone has a wider role in women’s health than its established use for low sexual desire.

The bottom line

Research and basic science has informed us for many decades that testosterone works on every cell, organ and tissue in the body.

Far too many women are being prescribed other medications for their symptoms of testosterone deficiency including antidepressants, antipsychotics, painkillers, sleeping tablets and anxiolytics. These medications are associated with both side effects and risks to future health. Many women can reduce and stop these medications when they are prescribed the right dose and type of testosterone.

There has been confusion with medical experts regarding bioidentical testosterone, which has the same molecular shape as endogenous testosterone, and synthetic testosterones (which have different molecular shapes and are associated with risks to health).

There are risks of both women suffering with symptoms and also health risks because women who both want and need testosterone cannot access it. This needs to urgently change.

It is 2026 and women deserve better.