Increase in women skipping exercise and using male steroids to ‘feel sexy again’ like Kate Winslet

Hundreds of women use testosterone to increase their libido and improve their sex lives.

Last week, Kate Winslet, 48, revealed on a podcast that she had started taking the male sex hormone, which had revolutionised her sex life and made her ‘feel sexy again’.

When people think of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), they usually think of estrogen for treating menopause.

But Dr. Kanwal Bawa, a Florida-based sexual wellness physician who goes by The Sex Fairy online, says Kate’s story is a familiar one: She’s prescribed testosterone without being prescribed it to hundreds of women, ages 30 to 80, who had low libido.

Although women naturally have lower testosterone levels, the hormone levels in their bodies begin to decline from the age of 30, which can lead to low libido and vaginal dryness.

Testosterone is FDA-approved for use in men with low T levels, but it can also be prescribed off-label to women in pill, gel, patch, or injection form to help mitigate the effects of declining levels as they age and to, for example, revitalize their sex lives.

She revealed that she was using testosterone on the Podcast How To FailKate Winslet said: ‘Sometimes women have a big dip in their libido because there could be something wrong with their thyroid.

‘There could also be something wrong with your testosterone levels.

Many people don’t know this, but women have testosterone in their bodies and when it runs out, just like eggs, it’s gone.

“And once it’s gone, you have to replace it. That’s something you can do and then you feel sexy again… I know that.”

And the Titanic movie star isn’t the only leading lady to open up about using testosterone for her sex life.

In 2011, Jane Fonda, now 86, revealed that she had started taking the hormone at age 70. The Telegraph at the time: ‘I discovered testosterone about three years ago, and it makes a big difference if you want to remain sexually active and your libido has gone down.’

Testosterone is the male sex hormone, but women also have small amounts of it. These are produced in the ovaries and adrenal glands.

In women, the hormone increases sex drive and energy and maintains muscle mass, but levels begin to decline after the age of 30.

According to doctors, warning signs of low testosterone in women include decreased libido, lack of energy, vaginal dryness and fatigue.

Doctors diagnose low testosterone by testing hormone levels in the blood.

Low testosterone levels are defined as levels below 1.5 picograms per milliliter (pg/ml) in women under 50 years of age and below 1 pg/ml in women over 50 years of age.

Although testosterone levels generally decline with age, women with medical conditions affecting the ovaries and adrenal glands are more likely to have lower testosterone levels than others.

Dr Bawa told DailyMail.com: ‘About 25 to 30 per cent of the women prescribed testosterone in my practice are under 40.

‘I am constantly contacted by hundreds of people, many of whom eventually become patients.’

She added: ‘We are doing women a disservice by not treating their testosterone levels more often. Because as few people and even fewer doctors realise, women typically have more testosterone than estrogen in their bodies.’

In addition, women going through menopause may be prescribed testosterone without a doctor’s prescription.

Although menopause itself does not cause a drop in testosterone levels, the hormone may be prescribed to women going through this change to counteract the symptoms of drastic fluctuations in the female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone.

When these levels drop, women may experience hot flashes, sleep problems, irritability and fatigue. However, studies suggest that testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) may help to counteract these.

Women are more likely to use HRT to combat these problems, which uses a patch, gel or other method to add estrogen and progesterone to the body and artificially increase their levels.

Some doctors recommend that testosterone be administered only to women who are already taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

To increase testosterone levels in women, Dr. Bawa prescribes TRT. This can consist of a cream that can be spread on the labia or a troche (small hard tablet) that can be placed in the mouth and allowed to dissolve gradually.

Testosterone is technically a steroid and when abused can lead to rapid muscle growth. However, in smaller doses it can be therapeutic.

Other forms include testosterone injections, pills, or patches, which can also be used to boost levels.

Patients typically need to apply these medications once a day to once a week to boost testosterone levels. According to Dr. Bawa, patients may need a prescription for the rest of their lives.

The substances contain very low levels of testosterone and are not nearly high enough to cause secondary male characteristics such as a beard or a deep voice, which Dr. Bawa says are the biggest concerns for some women.

However, the FDA has not recommended testosterone for women. According to the Mayo Clinic, this is due to a lack of research on its long-term safety.

Research Research shows that the number of women prescribed testosterone has actually decreased since 2009. Almost half of women who receive a prescription for testosterone do not ask for a repeat prescription.

The authors noted in the 2020 article mentioned above, using data from health insurance companies, that this suggested that testosterone therapy was either not effective or that the benefits did not outweigh the risks.

Side effects of TRT may include skin reactions such as acne, breasts that become larger and more tender, and weight gain.

According to Dr. Bawa, to prevent this, it is important to start patients on a very low dose and then gradually increase it to a level where the patient benefits from the treatment but does not experience side effects.

TRT is not recommended for women who have had breast or uterine cancer, as research shows it can increase the chance of the cancer returning. It is also not recommended for women with heart, vascular or liver disease.