Testosterone prescriptions for menopausal women are rising in the United States, even though the hormone is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for menopause, perimenopause or postmenopause. The trend is bringing renewed attention to a gap between the popularity of some hormone-based treatments and the evidence supporting their use.
A 2026 U.S. study recorded more than 90,000 off-label testosterone prescriptions for women in 2025. The prescriptions were concentrated mainly among women aged 45 to 64 and among those with menopause diagnoses. The total represented a 58.7% increase from 2024.
That growth is occurring in a crowded menopause-treatment market, where people are increasingly exposed to advertisements and claims about relief for symptoms such as hot flashes and brain fog. Some therapies have FDA approval and strong evidence behind them. Testosterone, however, occupies a different position: it is being prescribed more often, but experts cited by Live Science say the evidence for using it to address menopause symptoms is limited.
Why the prescriptions are off-label
Off-label prescribing means a clinician uses an approved medicine for a purpose that has not itself been approved by the FDA. In this case, testosterone has not received FDA approval as a treatment for menopause, the transition into menopause or the period after menopause.
The distinction matters because growing use can be mistaken for established clinical support. A rise in prescriptions documents interest and access; it does not establish that a treatment is effective for every symptom with which it is associated. The available evidence described in the source does not support treating testosterone as a broadly validated menopause therapy.
The treatment’s appeal may partly reflect how testosterone is discussed in popular culture and health marketing. It is often labeled a “male” hormone, but females also produce testosterone, though on average at lower levels than males. That basic fact can make a hormonal explanation for midlife symptoms sound intuitive. Yet experts caution against turning that intuition into a diagnosis or a treatment conclusion without adequate evidence.
The disputed idea of androgen deficiency
One common belief is that women develop an “androgen deficiency” as they approach menopause, meaning a marked decline in testosterone and related hormones that then drives symptoms. Susan Davis, a professor of endocrinology and head of the Women’s Health Research Program at Monash University in Australia, told Live Science that this is a misconception.
The point is important because a proposed cause can shape demand for a treatment. If menopause symptoms are assumed to arise from a testosterone shortfall, replacing testosterone may appear to be an obvious solution. But the source describes limited evidence for a direct link between testosterone treatment and relief of menopause symptoms.
That does not mean every question about testosterone use has the same answer, or that every clinician is making the same judgment. It means claims should be separated carefully: testosterone is being prescribed; those prescriptions are off-label for menopause; and the evidence supporting use for menopause symptoms is limited. Those statements can coexist, even as the therapy’s popularity rises.
Popularity is not proof
The increase in prescriptions is notable because it is large and recent. A 58.7% year-over-year rise suggests a treatment moving quickly into wider clinical and consumer awareness. But fast adoption can make careful communication more necessary, not less. People deciding among therapies need a clear view of what has been approved, what evidence is strong and where uncertainty remains.
Menopause is also a period when symptoms can be varied and disruptive, creating demand for options that promise improved well-being. Online advertising can add to that pressure by presenting a simple hormonal narrative for complex experiences. The source specifically notes that people approaching menopause may be exposed to many treatment claims, some more substantiated than others.
For clinicians, off-label prescribing is part of ordinary medical practice, but it requires a discussion suited to the individual patient and the available evidence. For patients, the most useful question is not simply whether a therapy is popular or whether it is called “natural,” but what outcome it is intended to address and how well that outcome has been demonstrated.
What the evidence gap means
Limited evidence does not necessarily end scientific interest. It identifies a need for better research and more precise claims. As prescribing expands, the central question becomes whether studies can clearly show which menopausal symptoms, if any, respond to testosterone treatment, for whom, and under what conditions.
Until then, the growth in off-label prescribing should not be read as an FDA endorsement or as proof that testosterone treats the broad range of symptoms often associated with menopause. The available reporting instead points to a treatment trend moving ahead of a firm evidence base.
That makes transparency essential. Women considering testosterone should understand that the hormone is not FDA-approved for menopause-related use and that experts say evidence for treating menopause symptoms is limited. In a market full of strong promises, those boundaries may be among the most important facts to keep in view.
This article is based on reporting by Live Science. Read the original article.
Originally published on livescience.com
