Menopause Without the Usual Symptoms

Everyday signs of low testosterone in men as experts warn it is a key link to erectile dysfunction Health

The second biggest cause is obesity (or even just being overweight) “as this directly reduces testosterone levels as well as increasing oestrogen and insulin resistance,” explains Dr Foster. Perimenopause has other less common symptoms that may not be talked about as much, including dry eyes, tingling limbs, and brain fog. If you start to see symptoms eventually, or for any less common symptoms you may have, a menopause expert can help recommend treatment for them. Even if you haven’t had any of the most common symptoms of menopause, maybe you’ve experienced other, less common symptoms. Try to think back and remember if you’ve noticed any of the ones listed below. Research from Harvard Health suggests that testosterone levels in men will peak during their latter teenage years (typically around age 17) and will remain at a similar level for the ‘two to three decades’.

If a woman still has her period, she should ideally take the blood testosterone test about 8 to 20 days after her menstrual period starts. There’s still a lot that doctors are researching about low testosterone in women and treatments for low testosterone. However, new treatments are being studied that may provide help to women affected by low testosterone levels. The first thing to know is that women produce testosterone in more than one location in the body. This means that the problem could be coming from a few different places. Whenever you are affected by a health issue, it’s good to learn as much as possible about the condition.

Unfortunately, the symptoms of low testosterone in women, AKA low T, can be subtle and mimic other conditions. In fact, the signs of low T in women can commonly be misdiagnosed as depression or anxiety. Doctors can also administer injections of testosterone and medical researchers are currently studying the effects of buying testosterone online reviews patches and pellets implanted in the skin. Some women may also obtain testosterone gel formulations from compounding pharmacies. However, these gels are traditionally used for men that have much higher average testosterone levels than when compared with women. In many women, the ovaries continue to produce hormones like testosterone.

“Two critical nutrients are vitamin D and zinc,” says Elise. “Research has established a reciprocal relationship between vitamin D and testosterone levels. Zinc is another crucial mineral that supports the processes necessary for proper cell function. While it’s not often said, women actually produce approximately three times as much testosterone as oestrogen before the onset of menopause. You appear to have higher than normal testosterone levels, please contact us for further investigation. You should always consult one of our specialist testosterone doctors as to which is the best path forward.

Yet too often, the assumption is that any woman with high androgens has PCOS, which can delay diagnosis of these rarer but potentially serious conditions. Testosterone is involved in many important bodily functions in females. Testosterone is a sex hormone that develops the male reproductive tissues and sperm. It is also important for the overall health of women and people assigned female at birth.

Free testosterone (the active form) also matters, as does the patient’s overall health picture. Once dismissed as a rare condition affecting older men, low T (testosterone deficiency) is now understood as a far more widespread issue. Thanks to a mix of modern stress, environmental exposures, and plain old aging, more men are hitting their 40s and 50s feeling like shadows of themselves — and many don’t even know why. In 2025, clinics like AlphaMan, a men’s health center specializing in hormone optimization, are rethinking how testosterone therapy fits into modern masculinity. Because when it comes to low testosterone, the stakes extend far beyond the gym.

According to the Boston University School of Medicine in 2002, if a woman’s plasma total testosterone level is less than 25 ng/dL in women under 50 years old, this is low. Testosterone levels lower than 20 ng/dL in women aged 50 and older are considered low. Women looking to boost their testosterone levels naturally have several effective options to consider.

If a female reports any of the symptoms listed above, a doctor will likely check for other, more common conditions first. Women and people AFAB usually have testosterone levels less than 40 ng/dL. Your testosterone normally peaks in your 30s and 40s before it starts to drop. Estrogen is a key hormone to help your bones, heart, reproduction, and more. Getting older (entering menopause) is one of the largest causes of low testosterone. By the time a person reaches menopause, their testosterone levels may have decreased by half of what they once were. The most well known cause of androgen excess is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).