I've taking testosterone gel and wonder if I'm experiencing some side effects

[GlomOfNit]

I've ben trialing Testogel for the last 3 months or so. I had my blood tests at around 8 weeks and they showed really high levels - 6.something! The community gynae service which runs the local menopause clinic who put me on this for low libido suggested I make the sachet last 2 or 3 times as long - so no more pea-sized blobs (making a sachet last 8 days) I'm smearing on less than half of that. Due another blood test in a couple of weeks to see if levels are dropping. The person I spoke to wasn't alarmed but said maybe I absorb it a bit TOO well.

She asked me if I was experiencing any obvious side effects. My voice is not deeper, I'm not experiencing any difference in mood, anger etc (in as far as I'm a perimenopausal 53 year old woman...). I do have a lot more hair growth on my inner thighs where I rub it (and not just where I rub it, the entire area is hairier. I did get this to a certain extent before starting the gel but it's definitely increased). I was expecting the hair growth, I take it off with wax strips.

but ...

Since our phone call, I've realised I'm losing a LOT of head hair. It's falling out much more. And I think roughly for the time I've been on the testogel I've experienced more hot flushes! I'm on HRT and have been for over 3 years, and hot flushes (I mostly had night time ones) were one of the things to go first. Now I'm finding I flush all over my neck, a few times a day. I'm visibly reddened there and I'm literally fanning myself with a fan! I'm on the level of oestrogen agreed (2 sachets of Sandrena daily) and continuous oral progesterone. I'm on the waiting list for a mirena coil as I'm still bleeding in an unsettled sort of way. (I had a hysteroscopy last year which showed nothing amiss - they decided that they were happy to fit a coil without another hysteroscopy to settle the bleeding.)

I looked up head hair loss and apparently it IS a thing! I'm not sure that particular side effect was ever run past me but I may be misremembering. But the flushing - can that also be a thing?

TBH I don't feel that the slight uptick in libido is worth losing my hair for, or getting these horrible flushes (if they're connected, that is). The hair on my thighs I can at least rip out.

Hi op. I haven't lost hair I don't think, although as I've aged, one side of my hair line has thinned. Not sure if it's meno or testogel that's caused it.

I also had very low ferritin due to heavy bleeding in my early 40s, though that level is now back over 100.

Most of my hair growth from testosterone is on my jaw and neck, plus leg hair is pretty thick again and it had stopped growing by the time I was early 40s.

6.something is quite high OP so it's not surprising you're experiencing side effects like hair loss. I've got slightly hairier on the inside of my thighs where I rub it in but that's to be expected.

Maybe use every other day and see if that helps?

If your levels are hi - why not try to use it every other day? And make sure it's a tiny pea, not a blob? And see what happens.

Does the current dose it help the libido?
For me - I had libido and tiredness. And it helped both.

I use my pea sized amount 3 days /week.

I'd ask for a repeat check tbh. 6 is crazily high if it was that I think you'd know it. As pp have said reduce for now one or twice a week until level is confirmed.

If for some reason it is accurate just stop it before there is any last effect.