The number of women prescribed testosterone gel on the NHS has increased tenfold after it was recommended as a sex drive enhancer.
Experts have raised concerns that the treatment is being overused in younger women and seen as a “solution to relationship problems”.
NHS data, obtained through a freedom of information request, shows a record number of 4,675 women aged 50 and over were prescribed the NHS testosterone gel in November 2022.
Use of the sex hormone has surged since November 2015, when the drug watchdog first suggested it could help women combat low sexual desire.
Rates also began to rise more sharply in early 2021, when Davina McCall promoted hormone therapy to ease menopausal symptoms, including brain fog and memory loss.
Experts worry that testosterone treatment is being overused in younger women to boost their sex drive as a “solution to relationship problems.”
READ MORE: Are Private Clinics Selling Men Expensive Testosterone They’ll Never Need? Advocates insist it could help millions of men in the UK, while skeptics fear it is being over-marketed
This is an increase from 429 women in November 2015.
The number of women under the age of 49 receiving testosterone injection also increased from 228 in November 2015 to a peak of 2,913 in November 2022, the most recent month available.
Usage rates also began to increase further in 2021 as awareness of menopause symptoms increased and the first of Davina McCall’s menopause documentaries aired on Channel 4.
Ms McCall, 55, shared her own “horrific” experience with brain fog and heard from a woman who believed she was developing early-onset dementia during perimenopause.
The former Big Brother host’s documentary aimed to dispel the myths surrounding menopause and alleviate the shame and anxiety surrounding hormone replacement therapy.
Testosterone gel prescriptions for men increased by just a third over the same period, according to The Pharmaceutical Journal study.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) published Menopause Guidelines in November 2015 stating that clinicians should consider testosterone supplementation for low libido only if hormone replacement therapy alone is not effective.
However, experts say they are concerned that the treatment is being used inappropriately.
Paula Briggs, sexual and reproductive health adviser at Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust and chair of the British Menopause Society, said there was a problem in the UK with misinformation about the potential benefits of testosterone.
“Women are led to believe that this is the missing piece of the puzzle, that this will be the solution to their relationship problems,” she said.
“I think we need to be much more scientific about how this information is conveyed to women.
“It comes from celebrities and politicians, and it’s not necessarily appropriate.
“We have no evidence that it improves any of the other symptoms that I think women sometimes seek treatment for.”
These can include cognition, mood, energy and musculoskeletal health, she added.
Susan Davis, an Australian hormone expert and adviser to the NHS Menopause Group steering committee, said: “We don’t know whether the women under 49 receiving testosterone are pre- or post-menopausal – if they are mainly pre-menopausal then it is worrying ‘since there is no evidence.’
There are currently no approved testosterone treatments for women in the UK, so NHS doctors prescribe products approved ‘off-label’ for men at lower doses deemed suitable for women.
However, this can be problematic as women often have to estimate the amount they need and leaflets are not appropriate.
AndroFeme cream was approved for use by women in Australia in 2020 and is currently imported into the UK for home use under a special license from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
The company’s chief executive, Michael Buckley, said it was preparing to submit a marketing authorization application for AndroFeme to the UK regulator “in the near future”.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
