Testosterone is touted as a miracle menopause solution for fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, joint pain and low libido. But is it as effective as the media claims?
In the Summer 2026 issue of The Menopause Exchange newsletter, Dr Joanne Hobson, clinical lead director at The Menopause Consortium, looks at the clinical evidence behind the headlines – testosterone’s role in a woman’s body, how testosterone levels may drop due to getting older (rather than the menopause itself), how and why it may be prescribed for women, and the risk of side effects with testosterone treatment.
“Testosterone may be prescribed for a specific group of women with low libido that hasn’t improved with standard HRT, but it isn’t a routine therapy for all menopausal women,” says Norma Goldman, founder and director of The Menopause Exchange. “Low libido has many different causes, such as stress, sleep, hormones, chronic pain, relationship problems and past experiences. If...