Menopausal women are increasingly using testosterone to treat their symptoms, but they have to go into seclusion to do so.

More and more menopausal women are seeking prescription testosterone to treat menopausal symptoms, but doctors are divided on its use.

The number of women prescribed testosterone to treat menopause-related symptoms has increased tenfold since 2015, and many more women are turning to private clinics due to NHS barriers to accessing the hormone.

Testosterone advocates say they are “outraged” that women have to go to private doctors for something they should have access to through the NHS, and argue that “medical misogyny” has prevented serious research in the past.

However, some menopause experts remain cautious about prescribing the hormone to women until randomized controlled trials are done, arguing that the full effect of the treatment cannot be known until it occurs.

Among them is the president of the British Menopause Society, Paula Briggs, who said more regulation is needed regarding the use of the hormone amid concerns that “unregulated” social media advice is compromising women’s safety.

More and more women are being prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for a variety of symptoms associated with menopause.

HRT usually includes both estrogen and progesterone, but more and more women are taking testosterone to relieve symptoms such as low libido, low energy, and mental fog.

Testosterone is not currently licensed for use in women in the UK, meaning that no pharmaceutical company has applied to license a testosterone product for use in women.

However, official recommendations prepared by the National Institute of Health and Excellence (Nice) state that women with low libido can be prescribed testosterone after other options, including traditional HRT, have been exhausted.

Many general practitioners who specialize in menopause feel the recommendations are too strict and say there is mounting evidence that testosterone has a wide range of benefits for their patients and should be made more available on the NHS.

Dr. Nighat Arif, a general practitioner who also runs a private women’s clinic, says her patients report many benefits of taking testosterone, including improved mood, brain fog, improved decision making and increased energy.

“The broad benefits of testosterone therapy that I have observed clinically mean that we should consider testosterone as a third component in the treatment of menopausal symptoms,” says Dr. Arif, who has worked for the NHS for over 15 years.

Dr. Louise Newson, a general practitioner who also runs a private menopause clinic, said she began prescribing testosterone for low libido about seven years ago and was quick to note that women report a number of other benefits, including “mood, energy, focus “. and perseverance.”

“Of course, in a very small study with my own patients, it certainly helps. People are discovering that they actually have more energy,” agrees the doctor. Nadira Awal is a general practitioner who also privately cares for menopausal women.

family doctors I said they face many hurdles when prescribing testosterone on the NHS, meaning it can take months for women to gain access to the hormone.

Now, many family doctors who don’t specialize in menopause are refusing to prescribe hormones directly, meaning more women are choosing to pay hundreds for a private prescription.

“Personally, as a doctor, I am outraged that women should go into private hands for something they are entitled to because Nice recommends it, and why we should make a distinction between those who can have and those who can. who can’t? This is not the healthcare system I want to work in,” the doctor said. Arif.

“I am annoyed by the lack of information”

Alison Knockels took traditional hormone replacement therapy for four years before starting testosterone last year.

“I was talking to one of my neighbors. We just chatted and let the girl talk about how we feel. She did a lot of research and said she had testosterone and said she actually read about it,” she shared. I.

“I read a lot about it and realized that I was probably not getting enough estrogen, but some of the symptoms I had were definitely low testosterone. It was pretty clear.

“I was sick all the time. My libido just disappeared. Fatigue, strength, libido – the end.”

Ms Knockels went to her therapist, who she said was “wonderful,” and immediately prescribed the hormone, but was willing to go in private if her therapist said “no.”

“Within three weeks, he was amazed. I benefited ridiculously from it,” she said.

“The lack of information annoys me. When you reach a certain age, you don’t get information about menopause and what’s available,” she said, adding that it would be “fantastic” if general practitioners run Well Women’s clinics for menopausal women.

Ms Briggs said the evidence for the benefits of testosterone for menopausal women is currently not strong enough to change the British Menopause Society’s recommendations for the use of the hormone. Like Nice, the British Menopause Society recommends using testosterone to reduce libido only when other options have been exhausted.

Ms Briggs said it was not “anti-testosterone” and said it was “unlikely for women to experience significant side effects when taking doses within the recommended range” but said it was also possible when taken. The hormone may have a placebo effect.

She said: “Social media platforms raise the expectations of women. The NHS has no capacity to meet the demand and nowhere else to go. So you can be very skeptical and see it as a business to make money.”

Dr. Arif claims that the lack of research on the use of testosterone in women is due to “medical misogyny.”

“Traditionally, testosterone has been considered a male hormone. It seems like women just want their sexuality back. It’s so much more because I’m telling you, as a doctor who’s been treating menopause for ten years, women at this stage of life just want to feel like themselves again because we forgot about them,” she said. .

Dr. Newson agreed that the lack of research was “a reflection of women’s health,” adding that “it didn’t interest anyone.”

She argued that women should be trusted to make decisions about their health and said there are other drugs that will be prescribed before the full long-term effects are known.

“I think if we don’t have randomized controlled trials, and that’s going to take a long time because they take a long time, then the doctor has to share the uncertainty with the patients. Let the women who agreed decide what to do,” she said.

Ms Briggs said it was “not true” that women’s health was not a priority and that “significant contributions” had been made in a number of areas.

“You can’t just say that we give women things because it makes them feel better. This is not evidence-based medicine,” she said.

She urged people to “calm down” and “let the NHS keep up with the growing demand for HRT.”

A Nice spokesperson said the company is in the process of updating its menopause guidelines but has yet to find “substantial new evidence to support testosterone use beyond current recommendations.”

They added: “Nice discussed the need for evidence in this area with the National Institute for Health and Care Research, who agreed to conduct the new study.”