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Testosterone scripts for women rise, along with denials and delays
CNN • • health
Key Points:
- Women increasingly use off-label testosterone therapy to manage menopause symptoms, primarily low sexual desire, but face prescription delays and denials due to lack of FDA-approved products for women.
- Medical organizations support testosterone only for hypoactive sexual desire disorder in menopausal women, with no evidence supporting its use for other symptoms like fatigue or muscle strength.
- Testosterone prescriptions for women surged by 146% from January 2023 to July 2026, driven by social media and FDA endorsements of hormone therapies, though safety and dosing for off-label use remain unevaluated.
- Pharmacies like Amazon and others have recently rejected or complicated testosterone prescriptions for women due to dosing and safety concerns, pushing some patients toward more expensive compounded alternatives often not covered by insurance.
- Over 30 clinical trials are underway to study testosterone’s safety and efficacy in women, with hopes that FDA-approved female-specific products will improve prescribing confidence and access.
