Women turn to testosterone for low sex drive as doctors confront treatment ‘experimentation’

When women ask their doctors about taking testosterone to help with menopause symptoms , they can run into insurance rejections, confusing workarounds and dosing guesswork, as no testosterone product is FDA-approved for women in the U.S.

On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) convened a public workshop to examine the evidence, safety and research gaps surrounding testosterone therapy for menopausal women .

Interest in testosterone therapy has grown as more women seek treatment for symptoms such as low sexual desire, fatigue and reduced quality of life during menopause — yet the lack of an FDA-approved product has left physicians relying on off-label prescribing and compounded formulations.

MELINDA FRENCH GATES SAYS IT TOOK 3 DOCTORS TO DIAGNOSE THE CONDITION SHE WAS SUFFERING FROM Dr.

Kudzai Dombo, a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist, Menopause Society-certified practitioner, and prescribing physician at Alloy Health, said she sees this dynamic playing out daily in her own Los Angeles practice.

Once patients get settled on standard estrogen and progesterone regimens, "The immediate next question is, do I need testosterone?" Dombo told Fox News Digital.

Although women may hear about a wide range of potential benefits on social media and from friends, current evidence-based guidelines support testosterone therapy for only one indication: hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), or persistently low sexual desire .

Clinical evidence supporting its use for energy, mood, bone health or sleep remains limited — though many patients are eager to try it for those secondary benefits, according to Dombo.

Because no female-specific formulation exists, doctors must navigate off-label workarounds.

They typically choose between using custom compounding pharmacies or micro-dosing FDA-approved male gel packets , which patients must carefully measure out at home.

ALZHEIMER'S RISK MAY BE 35% LOWER WITH COMMON MENOPAUSE TREATMENT, STUDY FINDS This lack of standardized options creates administrative and financial hurdles.

Because the therapy is off-label, insurance routinely denies coverage, forcing clinicians and patients to improvise — a frustration that Dombo experienced firsthand.

"When I was prescribed testosterone, my insurance denied coverage, and my physician recommended a compounded cream to avoid the administrative burden," Dombo recalled.

"I said, 'Well, I've already tried compounded and I actually want to try the gel.'" Using a discount coupon, she paid out of pocket and discovered that a 10-month supply of male gel packets was actually cheaper than a single month of compounded cream.