Testosterone on NHS

[BigPussyEnergy]

I’m 49, on Evorel Sequi - have been for several years - and also underactive thyroid for 23 years.

Recently (few months) been very stiff, exhausted and suffering with all over aches, joint pain etc. especially my hands and feet.

GP suggested I try HRT 🙄 and when I pointed out I was already on it, said to “keep an eye on my thyroid function” which is within range and I’ve been “keeping an eye on it” for 23 years!!

So frustrating. Anyway. I’m wondering if I might be able to convince her to try testosterone, hoping it will give me more energy, allowing me to exercise and help me build some muscle to support my joints, and also bring back my amazing orgasms, which have eluded me since starting on Citalopram last year.

My clitoris has shrivelled since the start of peri-meno, and I know Testosterone is supposed to help with that. I use topical oestrogen cream which has improved it a bit, but I’d really love to get my old libido back.

If you’re on testosterone:
a) can you get it on the NHS?
b) what symptoms did you present with to get it?

c) has it helped as you hoped it would?
d) any unpleasant side effects?!

Thank you

my gp in Surrey is happy to prescribe it for all the symptoms I have (loss libido, brain fog etc) once got go ahead from my sticky blood consultant. She has also wanted me to get optimum oestrogen absorption. Blood tests show I have v low testosterone. Reading the replies about how it’s helped with interest.
hope you get on well with it i

That is interesting. I am in Surrey too and my GP told me that their CCG, Surrey Heartlands, does not support the prescription of testosterone for women even for libido so I need to get it privately.

Thanks for sharing your stories, I am on HRT and interested in trying testosterone for low libido and total lack of ability to orgasm, but am
worried that as I have PCOS I will turn into a werewolf. Is PCOS a contraindication?

I completely bollixed it up when the local hospital meno clinic put me on testogel. I feel so stupid. First of all, Boots didn't have enough sachets (I was told I needed 1/8th of a sachet a day) and they told me to come back in a week or so. They'd given me about 7 sachets so that was enough for about 2 months anyway, and I let it hang ... what I hadn't realised was that when the meno clinic consultant told me over the phone that I needed to 'action' the prescription within 28 days as it was a controlled substance, that meant 'and including going back and getting the rest of your prescription if the chemist didn't have it all in stock at once' ... so when I returned to Boots, there was nothing they could do. They had it in stock but I was outside the 28 days.

So I continued to take my testogel, knowing I now didn't have enough to do the trial period. I found it made bugger-all difference to libido or energy levels. I did get a little extra fuzzy hair growth on my inner thighs, where I rubbed it in, but since I'm fairly fawn-like down there anyway, I accepted that. I then lost the blood test forms I'd been posted and never got my levels tested after the initial trial period...

I'm not usually this shite about medical matters. I think if it had had a decent effect, I'd have been more on the ball. Anyway, I just stopped taking it. I really SHOULD get back in touch with the clinic and fess up, but I'm feeling so stupid and sad about it. Plus, it didn't really do anything.

i would argue that! Some surrey heartlands gp’s will prescribe it :). My gp told me not all are happy even in the same surgery but definitely some will. I would ask to see another gp if u can x

My GP won't prescribe testosterone and the private clinic I went to said that testosterone doesn't often make a difference (that I might just have low libido).. my level was 0.3 but the range is 0-1.8 so within normal.

My GP (Herts) wont prescribe Testosterone either, this is madness that some will and some won't.
What I did find out via a private blood test (after several attempts to get my GP to action an NHS one) was that my estrogen levels were very low (160) even though I was using the Estrodot 100 mcg patch (I've had a hysterectomy). I was not absorbing from the the patch. Interestingly Louise Newson said on one of her podcasts that she has to use two patches, as she does not absorb very well either.
Just a thought for those of you thinking you may need testosterone, which may be the case, but it may also be that your patches aren't working properly for you either.

Thought I'd post this:
https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jul/05/prescribing-of-testosterone-for-middle-aged-women-out-of-control

Oh ffs what a load of scaremongering crap! Women ending up with male levels of testosterone?! If that’s the case it’s the idiot doctor prescribing it and not being clear about how much the patient should use. I use a pea sized amount, 1/8th of the sachet prescribed to men daily. My levels were tested before starting and will be again throughout treatment.

Women should not have to accept a lack of sex drive as an inevitable part of aging, especially given the amount of research time and money they put into ED medication for men. Testosterone is OUR hormone too and supplementing reduced levels to within a normal range should absolutely be available as an option to all meno women.

@BigPussyEnergy i couldn't agree more.

The doctor who wrote that article has popped up a few times recently, also warning about excessive oestrogen.

Perhaps she has some personal issues with Louise newson.

I don’t think it’s scaremongering. Why would menopause specialists in the UK, Australia and the US advise caution and point out the lack of safety data or effectiveness for muscle strength etc.

There is a lack of safety data on pretty much every supplement people take. At least with testosterone prescriptions you know the contents are what are on the label which is not the case for most over the counter menopause supplements which are entirely unregulated.

The most important thing is monitoring your levels. With private prescriptions you have blood tests at baseline, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months to ensure you remain in the normal female range.

Exactly - it’s scaremongering because it’s making out that this is frivolous or unnecessary prescribing rather than hormone REPLACEMENT therapy, giving us back something we’ve lost in the correct dosage to make us feel able to enjoy life again. Of course some people won’t follow instructions carefully but that should be the takeaway, making sure women are properly warned about the possible side effects of taking too much - tbh they could only possibly do that for a couple of weeks as the amount prescribed wouldn’t last longer than that if used to mimic male levels. If levels are tested and shown to be even at the low end of normal then supplementing in an appropriate female dose will not cause the sort of changes they’re talking about.

I can’t see anyone saying it’s frivolous, just that the brain fog or whatever are not evidenced by studies and prescribing for this is outside the licence of the drug.

As a side note, how long do you wish to replace the naturally dwindling hormones for? BTW I’m not anti-HRT, in fact took it for a short while, though not testosterone. I’m just over-cautious.

I guess I’ll take them until the point I’m ok with my labia being sore and my clitoris shrivelling away to nothing and being painful instead of pleasurable when I orgasm. So I suppose there may come a point when I’m ok with that but I don’t see why it should be at the age of 50 when I have a fully functional sex life with a man I care about and also enjoy pleasure on my own. To accept that soreness and pain is a natural part of getting older when there’s a medication that can prevent worsening and has actually reversed the atrophy within a couple of weeks I’m just really sad that women are being denied this treatment option.

I thought testosterone worsened vaginal atrophy.

Only in the case of transmen using it and suppressing their oestrogen.

In conjunction with oestrogen my clitoral and vaginal atrophy has improved markedly over the past 6 months. My clitoris had all but disappeared and I was told that adding testosterone couldn’t reverse it, but it has.

This is a bit of a tangent, but an unexpected benefit of testosterone hrt for me has been a significant improvement in my bladder control. I mentioned it to the GP at a follow up appointment, and asked if there was a positive version of the "yellow card" (for reporting side effects), and she said no. I'm so curious as to whether anyone else has experienced this good side effect! It kind of makes sense that testosterone might positively affect bladder control, given that it's had the noticeable physiological effect of getting my clitoris back to some sort of normality!

@menohnopausal I think T is meant to help with muscle tone. I have not noticed any bladder impacts but it has seemed to cure my acid reflux, possibly due to better tone in the lower esophageal splinter.

I started having acid reflux after taking conventional oestrogen and progesterone HRT and suspect this was because oestrogen does the opposite to T and decreases muscle tone. I really think it is important to have hormones in balance and taking oestrogen and progesterone without T can cause issues in some people.

Could you msg me the name of the clinic, please?

Hi all I know this is an old thread. @BigPussyEnergy I also after a year of waiting finally got my referral today symptoms like yours but they said I can’t have a prescription as my levels are normal. Felt they were trying to put words in my mouth to make out lack of libido was due to dryness or psychological reasons stemming from being sore due to dry (I’m not). I know the difference between being sore and dry and simply having no urge. I know what’s normal for me, regardless of normal levels.

has anyone on thread had joy with getting a private prescription when levels are normal?

Ugh that sucks. Did they tell you what the exact levels were? It might be that you’re at the low end of normal when you’re usually at the high end. Frustrating that you can’t try it, even just for a bit, to see if it helps,

FWIW I’m still taking it and appreciating the benefits whenever my (formerly FWB!) DP obliges. I haven’t noticed any other effects though, still knackered and in constant pain, so it hasn’t been quite the panacea I was hoping for. But a restored libido and improved orgasm is no small thing!

Glad to hear that @BigPussyEnergy:)

yea I’m at 2 which is really good apparently!

@FluffyFluffy my first FAi test said that my levels were so low, they couldn't register my testosterone. Less than 0.04!

Even after a year on T, I only went up to 0.6.

My GP was delighted to give me some, I suspect she wouldn't have been if I had a level of 2!

I'm on it on the nhs. It had to be prescribed by the meno clinic first and now the gp continues it.

It's been bloody wonderful. I have libido, can orgasm again and have energy. Honestly feel 10 years younger.

My mum says it has made me manic but I don't agree. I just feel alive !