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question from a user

I am a 52 year old woman. I am taking testosterone because my energy and motivation to get out of my chair were both really low. I also didn't have any sex drive. I actually hated having sex. My doctor would not prescribe testosterone so I bought Androgel from an online pharmacy from another country. It is 1% gel in 50 mg packets. I put the gel in an oral syringe and dispense 5 ml per day. I rotate sites, thighs, upper arms, abdomen. So far I have more energy and motivation, not a lot, but noticeable. As far as sex, I am much more open to it and my orgasms are better. Before I started using the testosterone I could not orgasm at all. I would like to raise my dose. I do not have any acne, oily skin, or mood swings so far. But I am very worried about hair loss. No hair loss yet, but I heard it happens slowly and you don't notice it until one day you do. I also heard that gel is the worst for hair loss. Is it true that the side effect of hair loss is higher for gel? I am open to giving myself subcutaneous injections. What is the best form of testosterone for subcutaneous injections in women? What is an equivalent dose to what I am taking? What should be the highest dose I should be sure not to go past? Any other tips for a female interested in higher sex drive?

AlphaMD's Answer

Transdermal treatment, with both gels and creams, have been proven to have a higher conversion rate to DHT. The skin has a higher amount of the 5a-reductase enzyme, so more of the T you apply will become DHT.

Fortunately, DHT raises libido very well; often better than testosterone. Unfortunately, DHT is the primary culprit for hair loss in both men and women.

The absence of hair loss at this time is a good sign, so you could certainly try slowly increasing your dose. In our experience, women tend to prefer injections though, as they tend to have fewer side effects with SQ injections.

The preferred form of injectable testosterone for TRT in women is testosterone cypionate. It allows for easy reversal if the dose is too high, but also doesn’t require daily dosing.Because absorption rates of creams and gels are extremely variable based on many individual characteristics, there is no direct conversion rate between topicals and injectables.

But a common starting dose for women on test cypionate is 10mg/wk, usually divided twice weekly.

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