Testosterone and libido

[1Wanda1]

Today I am delighted to have got a prescription for Tostran gel from a consultant gynae I was seeing about a separate issue. I had asked my GP last week if she would prescribe it for low libido (have been on HRT for 8 months) and she said a hard no. I pointed out the NICE guidelines and GP replied that if she followed that guideline and went to her prescribing book, it would show her that GPs aren't allowed to prescribe testosterone without a consultant doing so first .

So I raised it with gynae who said yes. My testosterone level is 0.3 and I am 46. She said that was a "very low" level.

Can anyone tell me how long it will take for me to get some libido back? I have felt practically dead from the waist down for the past couple of years.

Think they say about 12 weeks, but possibly up to 6 months. Estrogen has to be at optimum levels though. I've been on testosterone for more than 12 weeks and still trying to get the dosage right.

I'm not sure if my libido has been affected by the menopause or because I am not dating anyone I'm really interested in.

Ohh I've just had my results and mine was 0.3. I've not spoken to the doctor so don't know how to interpret that. Interesting to hear that you've been told it's very low - I'm younger than you.

I've been on testosterone for about 6 weeks now. Was prescribed it to complement my oestrogen as I was exhausted, had muscle aches and zero libido. I have felt a subtle but definitely noticeable difference.

I'm not quite at the swinging from the rafters stage of libido yet, but there is definitely more feeling and sensitivity down there and mentally my brain is a bit more switched onto the thought of sex. I'm hoping it will improve over coming weeks. Also, I feel much better mentally, more clarity, and have more general energy and motivation, so it's a winner for me.

@PollockSandwich did they test your levels first? If so, what were your results?

@WhatNoReally yes they did, here's the results, as I'm not sure which bit specifically compared with your 0.3.
I did have to push a bit though, as before I had seen the breakdown of the results, my GP told me they were satisfactory, which they clearly aren't!

I was swinging from chandeliers within a week dh was delighted. After 6 weeks I had a fresh set of bloods which showed much higher levels and the gp recommended I cut back a bit, which I did, and it right took the edge off sadly . But my libido is substantially better than it was and I'm adjusting the dose to find the right level for me.

I have also been having some sex/relationship/life therapy which has helped in different ways (can recommend my therapist) but I am one of the lucky ones who responded well to testosterone.

So from my googling today it's clear that yours is low @PollockSandwich . The 'reference range' is the range which 95% of people fall into. My guess would be that it falls in a bell curve. Most data I've seen indicates that the reference range for 20-49 year old females starts at 0.3, so with a score of 0.2 you have less testosterone than 95% in your age range. I can't find the upper limit for the reference range - I've seen 5.4, 2.4 and now (with yours) 2.9 given as a figure. Either way my result of 0.3 is right at the bottom so I'm guessing 90%+ of women in my age range have higher testosterone levels.

@WhatNoReally that sounds about right, it just gets confusing with the various different levels. I was quite surprised when I got my results that they considered them satisfactory, but it may be another fine example of where women's problems aren't a real priority. I hope you can get somewhere with your GP.

0.3 is the bottom of the "normal" range for women. I've also read that if your free androgen index is less than 1% then that indicates testosterone deficiency. Mine was 0.6%.

Can't feel the effects of the testosterone yet but I am hopeful.

I can't understand or interpret blood results can one of you lovely ladies help please? My testosterone level before starting treatment was 0.76. The gp said that was slap bang in the middle of the 'normal' range. If that was the case why did they agree to me starting it!!

My GP referred me to a meno clinic and they prescribed testosterone and an increase in my oestrogel dose. I'm 1 week in, blood test 8 weeks after starting. Fingers crossed, the clinic didn't say it worked for everyone