Anyone else having issues with low female testosterone?

[NorthSouthcatlady]

I’m 41 and appear to have low testosterone. It was measured from a blood test as 0.27, normal range is 2-4. Here are my other results;

SHBG 63 nmol/L
TSH 1.13 mlU/L
Free throxine 15.1 pmol/L
Prolactin 297 mU/L
FSH 5.32 IU/L
LH 5.37 IU/L
Oestradiol 95.9 pmol/L
Free Androgen Index 0.43
Testosterone 0.27 nmol/L

My GP’s surgery are useless; they are inept (don’t appear to be able to read blood test results)
and lethargic (don’t appear to know or understand NICE guidelines). So it feels like lm on my own with this Am l correct in thinking l should go to the Newsom clinic or similar?

I feel drained and weary so much of the time. I would love some get up and go -my iron, thyroid and B vitamin levels are all fine. My libido is no way as good as it was and seems to be getting worse…

I wasn’t sure whether to put this question on here or on the menopause board. But my other hormones don’t seem to be very menopausal or peri-menopausal. My periods are regular as ever

Sadly, you can't be given testosterone on the NHS and you can't be given it anyway unless you are already on HRT as it can make crazy imbalances with your own hormones. The women I know of who use it are post menopause, already on HRT and use it as a top up for their HRT.

Is there a reason why you had the blood test and what are you hoping to change?

@JinglingHellsBells l didn’t feel right -l have been anaemic in the past and thought it might be that but it was fine so l had hormonal tests done. What l want to change is feeling so tired and my libido to perk up. Like l said my GP’s are crap and l will begrudgingly have to go private -bet l wouldn’t if l was male but anyway

What makes you say l couldn’t have testosterone? It is nearly an 8th of what it is meant to be and lm feeling the negative effects of it

What makes you say l couldn’t have testosterone?

Because a licensed product for women does not exist.

The only one that is out there is for men. As a woman, you'd need to see a private consultant who agreed you needed it and tried you on a fraction of the make dose. It' s not usually prescribed in isolation, as my understanding is it's part of HRT with estrogen started first.

@JinglingHellsBells what would you suggest instead to get rid of the fatigue and poor libido?

I've had a very similar issue. I did go to Newson who offered me testosterone alone OR testosterone and oestrogen/progesterone (what is traditionally HRT). I went with the latter.

I can recommend doing this as it means you are already accessing the treatment you want when approaching the NhS but it's very costly. If I knew a year ago what I know now, I would have insisted on being referred to an NhS menopause clinic.

After six months with Newson I did this and they wrote to my GP saying I should be given testosterone. My GP still had to check with some other authority who didn't seem keen but they are happy to prescribe it fortunately. Only in small quantities and subject to six monthly blood tests and an annual review but I consider it a win.

Feel free to PM me if you'd like any more info. My testosterone was 0.3, increased to 0.7 and I think must be at least 1 now. Real improvement to my energy and motivation levels.

I’ve been prescribed testosterone on the NHS after my levels were undetectable in a blood test. I had been using HRT oestrogen patches as well. It is available on NHS even though there is not a licensed product for women you can use the gel etc for men at a lower dose. I was prescribed this by a menopause consultant and I understand a GP won’t prescribe this without a constant doing so first

Ditto crazybat lady, however i managed to get my testosterone prescribed by practice nurse following a blood test that established i had hardly any testosterone. I have noticed an improvement, i have days when i almost feel normal and motivated again but its not comsistent enough yet, so i probably need more time

I've had the parallel male experience, and when it comes to sex hormones in my experience GPs are pretty bad. Being able to stand my ground, I didn't have to go private but according to the forums out there many men do.

For obvious reasons I know more about how these things work in men, but my understanding is that for women testosterone is the first to decline in the run-up to menopause. There's a bit of a demarcation issue between endocrinologists on the one hand and gynaecologists for women and urologists for men on the other when it comes to sex hormones, since endocrinologists deal with hormones and gynae/urologists with the sex organs. I chose the endocrinologist route.

Do your research, find an endocrinologist who does do female hormones, and insist on a referral on the NHS. If the GP refuses, complain and ask for a second opinion. You may have to be prepared to travel as most endocrinolgists these days deal almost exclusively with diabetes and so you may need to go to a regional or even London university teaching hospital to find the right person.

NICE guidelines state that you should be referred to a menopause clinic if your GP cannot help you. Peri menopause can last ten years so it’s not unreasonable that this may be the start of it as the average age for menopause is 50. I’m 55 now but I’m sure my peri meno started in my 40s ( I didn’t have periods as I had a Mirena coil) but looking back there were a few things going on that I know now are peri meno related and these were not obvious things like night sweats. It’s all about cost these days so you have to be assertive, I know it’s not easy with doctors. Good luck
@Flapjak oh that’s good you got it prescribed no problem. I started to feel better after a couple of months but it can take 3 months. They also changed my testosterone gel to one that was supposedly better for women and I was not absorbing it as well as the previous one (so the blood test said) so am low again and having to start again on old type

Posters who have tried testosterone, did it help with libido?
I am on Livial, and ovestin cream, and I can therefore at least have sex without it being painful, but although it's emotionally satisfying, sexual pleasure-wise it's a pathetically pale echo of what we used to have.

I'm not asking to swing from the chandelier, just a shag once a week that doesn't feel like the dampest of damp squibs.

Testosterone is most commonly talked on male related issues. I think you have some issue in your body during relationship hour, My small suggestion is please seek doctor help for your health. And one more thing, in the medical field remedy available to overcome testosterone related issue only for men.

@NorthSouthcatlady You can see from the posts from women using testosterone are doing that along with estrogen.

I don't have the info to hand but my understanding is that women can't use testosterone alone as it needs all their other hormones to be balanced with it.

It's usually given for muscle strength and tiredness and libido IF estrogen doesn't do the trick.

I think your next step would be an appt with a private menopause consultant to discuss all your test results and bear in mind that single, one-off readings are not always accurate as it depends on when they are done in your cycle.

@eightnation, not yet! Am hoping its just because its early days . I think my testosterone levels have been low for years!!