17/09/2026
We talk so much about oestrogen in menopause that testosterone can almost feel like the forgotten female hormone.
But here’s some perspective 👇🏼
Before menopause, circulating testosterone is around 1,600 pmol/L, compared with around 400 pmol/L of oestradiol.
After menopause, those figures are approximately 600 pmol/L of testosterone versus 100 pmol/L of oestradiol.
Now, concentration alone doesn’t tell us how biologically important a hormone is, and these hormones work very differently in the body. But it does challenge the idea that testosterone somehow belongs exclusively to men.
Women produce testosterone throughout their lives, from the ovaries and adrenal glands, and it also arises through peripheral conversion of androgen precursors.
And its physiology extends well beyond sexual desire. Androgen receptors are found throughout the body, including the brain, bone and skeletal muscle.
What makes this conversation particularly timely is that today, September 17, the FDA is holding a workshop dedicated to testosterone use in menopausal women, looking at the evidence around sexual function, cognition, mood, musculoskeletal health, dosing, measurement and safety.
Despite increasing interest and prescribing, there is currently no FDA-approved testosterone product specifically for women in the US.
The UK has taken a different step: AndroFeme 1%, a testosterone cream formulated specifically for women, became licensed in 2025.
There are still important questions about where testosterone therapy provides proven clinical benefit versus where its broader physiological roles have not yet translated into evidence for treatment.
But one thing deserves to change:
We need to stop talking about testosterone as though it is simply a male hormone that women happen to have.
It’s a women’s hormone too. 🧬
Save this if you found the numbers surprising, and follow along for more evidence-based conversations about menopause and women’s health.
