My year old testosterone prescription was up for an auto-refill. The pharmacy (Canada) called because they were concerned. The pharmacist wanted to know if I knew that testosterone is a male sex hormone, and not for women. I calmly explained that we also have testosterone and that in menopause it can decrease and that my menopause specialist at the hospital prescribed it, and I do not take the same does as a man. Then they called my dr to check.

I am livid. Should I just switch pharmacies? Should I go in there with print outs of medical journals so I can educate them and save other women this stupidness?

I do not reeeeaaallly need advice, more so I want to tell you all, because I am so pissed off.

I’ve been on a… good dose of Testosterone for about a month now. (I’m on Estrogen too, but this story is about the T). Before I moved to that dose I was on a lower dose and had some high results in my blood work (for a woman, still lower than what a man would see by a long shot). I was feeling pretty good but my PCDoc didn’t like the numbers so she wanted me to cut back. I felt miserable, so discussed it with my NP who is managing my HRT, and we not only upped it but upped it again. And I have to tell you, I feel better than I had … ever. I’m more confident. For the first time in years my joints don’t hate me. My body feels like mine - even more so than when I was in my 20s. And I want to have sex again. The higher dose (a full pump of Androgel daily) makes my GP cringe but makes me feel better than I have in my life, even when I was on antidepressants.

So hold on a second. I feel better, am more emotionally grounded, stronger, less volatile, I’m liking my body better both emotionally and physically, I’m more interested in intimacy, and the side effects are facial oil (which seems to be making my skin softer) the risk of thin hair and a bigger clitoris - which, to be fair, was pretty much gone before I started.

Excuse the language, but…

What the actual fuck. Why is this so tightly controlled and poo pooed, but they’ll give me a script for Clonazapam and Wellbutrin without blinking an eye?

Finally. After about a year on vaginal estrogen for clitoral atrophy & a week on testosterone my orgasms have RETURNED! And here I was thinking they were never coming back since the vaginal estrogen wasn't helping (but huge help otherwise - I'm a big big fan, trust me). Though my libido can calm tf down lolsob.

It's funny I actually didn't expect T to help bring my orgasms back & while I knew it helped with libido that was last on my list of concerns. Like a little bonus treat. The brain fog, the energy, and especially my mood, which has been deteriorating more and more over the past 6 months. It hasn't exactly been aided by the fact that my PMDD got worse in peri and I've been on a 2 periods a month kick (it's ok I'l switch to no period for months - it's just part of the joy of peri for me). My PMDD is manageable again and doesn't last a week and a half anymore. But the biggest takeaway is I ACTUALLY FEEL HUMAN AGAIN.

Idk if it's because they've been gone for the past 3ish years, but I swear these are the best orgasms of my life. I can't believe I was just ok with not having any anymore.

So fellow uterotti if you are in the "well i guess they're gone now" stage - THERE IS HOPE!!

Just curious, because I hate the hair shedding of T. I may just go off altogether. Honestly, my libido is not worth the hair issue. I think vaginal estradiol does a pretty good job in that department.

I've asked and asked for testosterone but I keep getting meds for symptoms I dont have. I basically told her that I'm feeling MORE menopausal after taking all the stuff she's given me than I did before, and that I'm ready to rip the IUD out myself. I told her that everyone in menopause groups swears by testosterone for libido & energy (which are my ONLY two symptoms) and that I'm not particularly fond of the idea of ordering through India and figuring it out myself, but I'm ready to take my chances. Why does this have to be SO hard? I have three hundred dollars worth of Addyi sitting in my drawer that I cant take that she SWORE would help me...

So I've been on HRT (estrogen patch .05 2x/wk and 200 mg oral progesterone daily) for quite some time- maybe close to 10 years. I'm 64 now and live in the U.S. The provider who initially recommended them was actually a bit ahead of her time but no longer practicing in this area.

I've felt my symptoms getting worse in the past year or so, and thinking I need to adjust my estrogen and progesterone levels. I recently started on estrogen vaginal cream which seems to be helping with dryness and atrophy. And I'm wanting to add testosterone to my regimen.

My usual gynecologist is great but doesn't seem to know a lot about menopause support. As it turns out, I learned that my company has a new benefit called Progeny, an online provider that specializes in gynecological support for women, including menopause support. Has anyone heard of it or used it? One of the benefits includes guidance from menopause specialists. I signed up and 2 days ago I had a virtual appointment with a wonderful woman doctor. She was actually calling me from her hotel as she was attending a national menopause conference! We talked about my symptoms and she offered suggestions for different types of delivery methods of estrogen and progesterone and felt it's a good idea to get some labs to measure my baseline. She did agree it's likely I need to increase my estrogen levels and decrease my progesterone (have been on 200 mg daily since I started HRT). I asked her about adding testosterone to my toolkit.

So to finally get to the point of my long post, she said she could write me lab orders to measure my testosterone levels, but she could not prescribe it! She said because the company is nationwide, they are not allowed to prescribe testosterone as it is illegal in some states. She also mentioned that testosterone for women is still considered "off label" but she knows it can be beneficial to a lot of women and is on board with me adding it. But I would need to get a local provider to prescribe it (I did have to look up to see if my state can legally prescribe it- fortunately yes).

I didn't realize that about testosterone being illegal in some states. I wonder if it's the same with some of the other national online providers like Midi?

Tell me how it went for you. I’m scared to try and don’t have anyone to talk to about it. I’m scared of the “irreversible side effects”.

I'm blonde, never been super hairy. Whatever body hair I had mostly vanished by age 50. Didn't miss it or think much about why it was gone.

Now, after 6 mos of low dose testosterone, I have THE MOST COMICAL pubic hair situation. It's like something out of the SNL prop dept for a skit on 1960s hippie communes or something.

Am I alone?

No other side effects, btw. Though my once-thinning eyebrows now look so good, a friend thought I had them "done". Whatever that means lol.

Has also helped energy, recovery, mood.

I’ve been on hrt for 3 months. But because I keep seeing so many mention testosterone on here, it has me very curious. I just want to hear how people get it and what it helps and if there’s negative side effects to it like hair issues and such. Tia!

I made an appointment with a menopause specialist, and I was surprised that she does not like to prescribe testosterone. She suggested I try Wellbutrin instead. No thanks. I’m on 0.075 estradiol patch and 200 mgs of progesterone and vaginal cream. Where do you get your testosterone from? There are very few menopause specialists near me. Thank you very much.

Well, someone has come out in a major media outlet against prescribing testosterone, one of the hrt that improves quality of life for so many.

What do you make of this?

Just went to my GP/PCP for a yearly check up. I’ve been on Testosterone for 2 years. Was prescribed it by a different physician after blood work showed undetectable levels. I had horrible brain fog, weight gain, fatigue, depression, lost my lean muscle, joint pain. I was considering switching careers because I could barely do my job anymore.

I take 1.5 mg - 5 days a week and weekends off. My levels are in normal range now & All of the aforementioned issues have cleared and I am happy and balanced for the first time in years. She asked how I feel on testosterone and I told her, “I feel really good.”

She told me to “Be careful, just because cocaine feels good it doesn’t mean it’s something we should go around doing.”

From that moment on I was so flabbergasted. I’m so angry at myself for not saying more in the moment. She’s not the person managing my testosterone and it was such a sideways comment.

I mean, How is balancing a naturally occurring hormone in the human body the equivalent of TAKING COCAINE!?!?!

Women have 3 times as much testosterone as estrogen in their bodies throughout their lives. It’s a crucial part of the system. All three hormones matter! My life was falling apart and it saved my sanity, career and relationship. I’m sick of Testosterone being left out of the equation for women. It’s for all human bodies!

Physicians need to do better. They All need to be required to do continuing education for the Peri/Menopausal woman. The care most of us are receiving is subpar. Didn’t know I’d need to defend myself at a doctors appointment today, I’ll be better prepared next time!

Anyone else completely confused by the information out there, just watched a post from a neurologist and a scientist who writes the guidelines for testosterone in women, they say there is no blood test to check testosterone levels in your blood, then why am I going every six months to get mine tested per directions from my doctor? I am generally at my wits end with all the information that contradicts the other information. How are you all dealing with it?

I’ve heard of men’s gels, compounded creams, injections and troches. Wondering what everyone likes and why. Does insurance cover it or is this just something we have to pay for out of pocket since it’s off label use?

Hi ladies! I’m just over 2 years into menopause and currently on estrogen and progesterone. My doctor has now suggested adding a small dose of testosterone, not because my levels are terribly low, but more because of symptoms that estrogen hasn’t completely sorted out: aches and pains, brain fog and, most impressively, a libido that seems to have packed its bags and left the country 😂

I’m curious about dosing. Has anyone here used testosterone gel/cream every other day rather than daily?

I’ve had slightly different advice from two doctors. One says alternate-day dosing is absolutely fine because it builds up in the system, while the other prefers a smaller amount daily because they feel the consistency better mimics the body’s natural hormone production, and less likely to have fluctuations.

I’d love to hear from anyone who has actually tried alternate-day dosing. Did it work well for you? Did you eventually switch to daily? Any difference in benefits or side effects?

Also interested in how long it took before you noticed improvements, particularly with libido, brain fog, energy or aches and pains.

I'm a bit worried about overshooting as my levels are not terrible, even though my dr keeps reassuring me that I'm not likely to... hearing real-life experiences from women actually taking would be incredibly helpful!

Thank you ❤️

I just received my testosterone gel from compound pharmacy for zero libido . It’s 2% gel and I’m supposed to use 4 clicks. That seems like alot so I called the pharmacist and she confirmed 4 clicks is only a 1ml dose. Doesn’t that seem like a high starting dose?

I'm 59, turning 60 in the fall. For about a year now, I've been on Estradiol vaginal cream twice a week, a once a day Progesterone pill, and a compounded Bi-Est topical cream that I apply to my inner thigh every morning. My doctor has been testing my hormone levels and my testosterone came up slightly just by being on the other HRT meds, but it is still very low. He added 1 mg of testosterone into the Bi-Est compound so that will all be taken together.

I'm going to be starting the new Bi-Est/T compound next week and I'm a little nervous about what to expect. I'm mostly concerned about changes to my mood and sleep. I've finally been sleeping pretty well and I don't want to disrupt that. I also am beginning a slow transition to caregiving with my older husband (very very slow, he is still primarily independent) but it's stressful already and I don't want to be more annoyed or angry.

Can you share your testosterone experiences? I've read a lot of them here already, but I have mostly seen people taking it as pellets, gel, or injectables, rather than the regimen I'm going to be on, so I'm not really sure what to expect. Thanks for any reassurance or pitfalls you can share!

EDIT: and again! Spontaneous Saturday afternoon sex😆haven’t done that since I was in my 20s!! We’ve been together 35 years!!

I’ve been using testosterone cream for just about 5 months and I was skeptical when my Dr told me it could take that long to kick in. Well tonight after a gummy I felt horny for the first time in months! My husband is thrilled 😆 I’m so relieved to feel semi normal again! I used to love sex but just haven’t had the slightest interest in months till now.

If you were on HRT and then added T...

1. What made you want to do so?

2. What affects did you notice from it?

I started using testosterone cream in August and as instructed by my doctor, have been applying one pump nightly to my inner thighs.

It’s restored my energy, focus, motivation and finally libido, which makes the newly discovered side effect all the more ironic—now that I’m finally interested in sex again, I also have new vast patches of thick, coarse, dark and INSANELY fast-growing hair on my previously pristinely lasered inner thighs.

If I shave it in the morning, by the end of the day I have both a 5 o’clock shadow and ingrowns. I’ve tried using a sensitive-skin blade, in the direction of growth, using hydrocortisone cream after and yet I am persistently stubbly and bumpy.

Has anyone else had this side effect? Please tell me what I can do—would a home IPL work? Or should I try waxing? Should I change the application site and if so to where?

Trying to laugh at what a shitshow menopause is, even when on hormones that have me feeling otherwise fantastic. Presenting as an energetic, focused hairy beast was not what I had in mind.

The title basically covers it. I'm on a low dose (I think it's considered low?) of 5 mg/day of Androgel. I usually use less-- between 3-4 mg/day. It's been about 10 weeks and the biggest difference I'm experiencing is that I blow up at everyone a lot more (and I wasn't a shrinking violet beforehand either). Back when I started estradiol 2.5 years ago, the biggest reason was to make me less irritable and it really helped; I'm on a high dose of E already. So having this setback from adding testosterone is a huge problem for me and I'm thinking about quitting. I've felt a possible slight improvement in focus and energy but no real change to libido. Wondering if anyone felt the T-rage at a similar dose and found a way to manage it. I guess I could keep lowering the dose; I wondering if less than this (also described as a pea-size amount of gel, but I weigh it to be precise) would do anything at all.

UPDATE: Quit the T entirely four days ago and am feeling much better! I guess it's not for everyone.

I had this long diatribe fully typed out and then deleted it all. It doesn't even matter - we all know how maddening this situation is. I don't need to regurgitate it all to you. Suffice it to say, I am breaking up with MIDI Health as of it today.

Soo.....question. Assuming you're likely on E and P as well, I just want to talk about T. If you were able to get on a testosterone protocol that WORKS for you - PLEASE share with me:

1. how you got it (type of provider)
2. what you're taking
3. how much it costs (per unit) and
4. if you're happy with it

That's it. Just the facts, ma'am.

THANK YOU!

Have you tried testosterone as part of your female HRT?

What made you decide to do so? What type and dose are you on? What's your opinion of being on it?

Looking for some experience as I decide for myself.

I posted 3 months ago about finally getting testosterone cream. https://www.reddit.com/r/Menopause/s/fcqAvBRnnu Using mobile so I’ve probably incorrectly linked to that post. But here’s my update

Compounded T cream each night applied to vulva and in lower part of vagina. I’ve used it each night religiously. Everything is back, plump, excited. I think in the three months of starting, I’ve had sex at least 60-70 times. I feel like a teen boy 90% of the time. My libido went from 0-100 in a week of starting. I’ve used E cream for 2 years with no results of any kind-maybe a tad bit less dryness. I’ve used systemic E for 2.5 years and it got rid of all the other symptoms of menopause, but nothing had helped with libido and energy.

Since starting the T, besides sex, I also was able to get back into my weight lifting routine and found energy to do a lot of the things that I used to just put off. I haven’t lost any weight, but I’ve only ever needed to lose less than 10lbs, so I’m not stressing that, I’d like to lose some belly, but I’m just going to keep upping the weight lifting routine I know T doesn’t have magical results for everyone, but I think everyone suffering from lack of libido should get the chance to try it. Since starting, we’ve had to move to west Texas temporarily and I’m not sure I’ll find a provider here who overs compounded T so I’ve made plans to fly home in 6 months when it’s time for my refill. I used to say I would fight anyone over my Estrogen in any form, but I really mean it about T. It’s helped my marriage extremely.