If you take testosterone

[Piggles1979]

I've been on HRT since Jan. Great....except for having absolutely no libido.
I've got an appointment with the BUPA menopause plan tomorrow and I imagine testosterone will be the way to go.
I'm so worried about acne though! Having struggled with my skin, this is a real concern.
If you are on testosterone, has this been an issue for you?
Thanks.

No, I haven’t noticed any difference in my skin.

@CharlotteSometimes1 Thank you for replying. That's reassuring.

Absolutely no negative side effects at all for me. Only positive.

Interested too. What about hair thinning etc?

No I have not had any bad side effects, only good ones.

No, no noticeable negative side effects.

Am very prone to acne, but testosterone hasn’t affected it at all. On the other hand, body hair…

I've not had any skin problems since being on testosterone, just a myriad of benefits. It been great for me.

No skin issues for me and a welcome return of my libido. My hair is definitely thinning though, not enough for other people to notice (yet!) but I can…..

Thank you so much. It's so easy to overthink and panic when it comes to hormones. The rest of the HRT has been brilliant for me, and I was worried testosterone would ruin everything!
It's really helpful to hear real experiences from real women, so thank you for responding.
I'm really hoping this will be the missing piece of the puzzle for me....

Sorry to jump on your thread OP

I discussed testosterone for my libido with the specialist but they indicated the side effects such as excess body hair were significant and the prescribing of testosterone was in order to
assist women who are unable to have any meaningful sexual encounters and aimed for women to have one successful encounter. It seemed to me the side effects far outweighed any benefits.

is this not people’s experience of testosterone?

I became so angry on it. Even I hated how horrible I’d become and had to stop taking it . I eventually tried vaginal estrogen and that helped my libido so much more.

Nope. And I don’t have any excess body hair.

@liquoriceallsortfamily that's interesting. Did the change in oestrogen really make a big difference?
I have absolutely no libido at all at the moment, but I don't have dryness or other symptoms that I thought vaginal oestrogen was there to help.

@dancemom just ONE meaningful sexual encounter??? I'm hoping for many!! (With the same person....) 🤣

Following as just started testosterone for libido and have also worried about acne as a side effect due to struggling in the past! Reassuring responses so far!

Dryness used in this way us a misnomer and is often used interchangeably for vaginal atrophy which you won't know you have until its gets bad enough for symptoms.

I'm not sure of your age, but if you're over 50 you will almost certainly need vaginal oestrogen (inside and out) to help your urinary system and your sex life and to stop your clitoral atrophy.

@Additup
I'm 47. That's really interesting.
Just had my appointment. The doc was happy to prescribe testosterone but we decided to up my oestrogen first to see if that helps.

Vaginal oestrogen is great for libido,
my clitoris had shrunk and now it’s back to normal.

Am also on testosterone and can’t say I’m noticing anything different. Skin is fine but energy still low and I’m not sure how long it takes to make a difference( am on it 2 months)

I would strongly recommend vaginal oestrogen. I'm older than you, mid 50s and I was lucky that after some inconsequential menopause bleeding at 52 the gynaecologist who examined me said she could see some early signs of vaginal atrophy around my cervix and 'dryness'.

Like you I thought, but I don't feel dry, what's she talking about. The gynaecologist wrote to my GP to start me on vaginal oestrogen.

I'm so glad I did. Everything works well, no night time loo trips and sex is great.

It's insidious the way it starts and its much better to treat it, inside and out before you get a serious issue.

Imo there is not enough education about the need for vaginal oestrogen!!

@Additup That's really useful to know. Thank you.

@Additup and @Whoops75
Do you take the vaginal oestrogen instead of or as well as transdermal?

Can someone here tell me how you're storing the gel in the little sachets pls? I have mine in the bathroom cabinet but it's crystallised!

No personal experience myself but a couple of friends have tried testosterone (we are 47) one decided to stop as it gave her excess hair on face/chin/chest…another friend had excess hair issue and also interestingly felt very angry/aggressive in the months after starting it

So they both stopped & ended up taking vaginal oestrogen instead which really helped the libido

Also, I believe it’s best to increase the HRT oestrogen dose before adding in testosterone, which would make sense

I use a 50 Everol patch and 100mg micronised progesterone as well, but I started those about 18 months after the vaginal oestrogen because I never had any hot flushes etc. It was only when I realised my joint pain made me feel about 80 I decided to give systemic hrt a go. It's wonderful. My joint pain went in the first week 🙂

I started with vagirux oestrogen pessary first and then introduced oestrogen cream for vulva/clitoris. The vagirux started to irritate a bit so now use an estring as suggested by my Dr which I love and the oestrogen cream outside.