{"id":21503,"date":"2025-02-04T09:00:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T10:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=21503"},"modified":"2025-02-04T10:32:21","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T10:32:21","slug":"testosterone-therapy-for-menopause-what-the-hormone-can-and-cannot-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=21503","title":{"rendered":"Testosterone Therapy for Menopause: What the Hormone Can, and Cannot, Do"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Demand for the hormone is surging, and not just to treat libido. Here\u2019s what we know about its benefits, and potential risks.<\/p>\n

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Five years ago, when Dr. Risa Kagan offered testosterone to postmenopausal women whose sex drive had vanished, the Berkeley-based OB-GYN had few takers. Women were wary of using what they thought was a male sex hormone, she said, and concerned about developing \u201cmasculine\u201d traits, like body hair or a deeper voice.<\/p>\n

Now, she said, \u201cevery patient is coming in asking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Across the country, women\u2019s health providers have reported a similar surge in recent months, sparked by menopause influencers on Instagram and TikTok who promote testosterone\u2019s wellness benefits. Even Kate Winslet praised<\/a> its power to make her \u201cfeel sexy again.\u201d<\/p>\n

But amid the cultural enthusiasm<\/a> for testosterone \u2014 and a newly energized conversation about helping women feel good through the menopause transition and beyond \u2014 nuances about the drug are getting lost, experts told The Times. While decades of evidence<\/a> suggests that low doses of testosterone can increase some women\u2019s sexual desire with few side effects, some proponents are overstating the drug\u2019s ability to boost mood, cognition, muscle strength and heart health, they said, and underplaying its potential risks.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are trying to take testosterone for everything \u2014 it\u2019s become the new feel-good drug,\u201d said Dr. Kagan, who is a clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco, and has prescribed and studied testosterone in women for more than 20 years. But for anything beyond libido, \u201cif you really delve into the data, it\u2019s just not ready for prime time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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So what do we actually know about testosterone and women? Here\u2019s what the scientific evidence has revealed about its very real benefits, and its risks.<\/p>\n