I am 48/peri and when my Dr. checked my hormones, my testosterone was low. So she gave me a prescription to be picked up at a compounding pharmacy yesterday. I have never taken any kind of hormones so this is all new to me.

It says on the label to put the cream on my labia at bedtime. The cream is in a syringe and I am supposed to use 1 ml a night. Really easy to use.

After reading some of the posts on this board, now I am scared about putting it on the tender skin around my vagina. Why is mine supposed to be put there and most of you talk about putting yours other places?

I think the name of it is androgel (1 mg)??

How long before I might feel the effects? Does it build up in your system like progesterone cream does? Do side effects start immediately or can they be delayed? I am sensitive to alot of meds and sugar/caffeine, etc. Could it have a stimulating effect on me?

Thanks for any help and advice you can give me.

Hi and welcome to Powersurge

First-you said the testosterone is a cream-then you said it is Androgel-which is a gel in alcohol. If it is in a cream then it has probably be made up specially for you and in that case-yes you can and should apply around the vagina and clitoris.

If it is pure androgel in an alcohol base-well that is for men and not to be put on your delicate areas. You should put it on your inner thighs, belly or even wrists.

You say you are not taking any other hormones. Mostly doctors don't prescribe testosterone without estrogen to women because they kind of balance each other out . Having said that, I myself am using a testosterone cream without any other HRT because firstly I have had endometrial cancer so estrogen is not really good for me, but secondly because I have tried estrogen and it makes me ill.

If you are using it alone I would advise you to take it really slowly. You will probably start to feel your mood lift, your brain sharpen up and your energy levels rise very quickly-maybe almost straight away. As soon as you find your sex drive has returned I would advise you to back off for a couple of days. The testosterone will build up and stay in your body for quite a while and once the level is up you may only need to use it now and again-especially if you are not taking estrogen.

It definitely has a stimulating effect on me and I often find that I can feel agitated a day or so after using it because it is so hard to get a small enough dose.

If you overdo it you will hate it because it will make you feel very angry, anxious and cause severe hot flashes. Your libido will also disappear believe it or not! I am not saying this to put you off-quite the reverse.
When I started on my testosterone 18 months ago my doctor just gave me the sachets for men and told me to experiment. I hugely overdosed very quickly because here in UK there was no-one- not even my doctor, who knew anything about treating women and how small the dose should be.
I would have given anything for someone to help me but it is so unusual for anyone to be given just testosterone that I couldn't find any help at all. So I am happy to be able to give you the benefit of my experience

If you use a small amount and go slow you will have intense orgasms and will feel alive again. If you take it one step too far you will feel terrible and the effects can last for weeks.
To give you an example of how strong it can be-last July I topped mine up and I went right through until November before I needed to top up again.
Everyone is different and I am very sensitive to meds so you may find it works in a different way for you. Just remember-less is more.
Good luck and let me know how you are doing
janet c

By the way-never apply it a bedtime because it will give you such a buzz you will not sleep. You should always apply testosterone first thing in the morning and your doctor should know that

janet c

Hi Janet. I will have to look at my package when I get home but it is like a cream/lotion (white) but I think on the sheet they printed out for me it was called androgel (I could be wrong though). At the drugstore they told me it was bio-identical. Since I am sensitive, I only used 1/4 of the dose recommended last night. It didn't cause me to not sleep. But it may at higher doses. It also says to apply to labia at bedtime. Interesting. I may call the pharmacist tomorrow and ask about that.

I plan to just use 1/4 of the recommended amount a day for about a week and see how I do. Then increase it to 1/2 the amount a day. If I feel positive results, I may not even take as much as the prescription says. Since it is in syringes, it is really easy to measure out how much I am getting.

The reason I don't take any hormones is all my other hormones were within normal when tested. I am a breast cancer survivor and some Dr's wouldn't even consider giving me estrogen. I have tried the estring for vaginal dryness and even though it is not supposed to get into the bloodstream, it revs me up and causes nervousness. So I use it a couple of weeks out of the month and take a break for 2 weeks. Seem to do fine that way. I read somewhere that testosterone cream can help with dryness and if that is the case, I may not even continue to use the ring.

How can I tell if it has alcohol in it? I don't recall seeing the ingredients listed anywhere. It didn't burn or sting when I put it on last night.

The other thing that kinda scared me is everywhere on the internet says for women to NOT USE ANDROGEL!!! Why would my OBGYN prescribe something that women are not supposed to use?

I really appreciate you talking to me. This is all really new and confusing. BTW, at the drugstore they told me it was bio-identical.

Don't take any notice of that thing about women not using Androgel. It also says that on my stuff which is Testogel.
This is because it is really made for men in men sized doses, but until they make one specifically for women that's all there is available. The pharmacy companies are just covering themselves.
If it is a cream then what they have done is mix the androgel into a base and diluted it for you- so that is great. If it didn't sting then I would carry on using it in the same way as you have been.
I mix my gel into a cream so I can dilute it and I can use mine "down there" too.
Yes mine is bioidentical also which is the best kind. You are right to go carefully. I still think you will find as your levels come up it will be too energising to use at night.
Good luck anyway
janet c

OK, so far so good with the cream BUT a very embarassing question. It says on my prescription to put the cream on the labia. To make sure I had my anatomy right I googled labia and there is a labia majora (large lips) and a labia minora (small lips). Does it matter which labia I put it on? I know not to put it in the vagina but does it really matter where you put it down there as long as none gets on the inside of the vagina?

Also, how long before I should be able to tell a difference in my libido? I am still using about 1/4 of what the Dr. said because I am very sensitive to meds. I have been using it a little over a week now and will go up in my dose at about 2 weeks.

Janet, you said it builds up in your system so does that mean I could have delayed side effects after using it awhile?

Thanks again for all your help!!

Why can't you put it inside the vagina? It is not dangerous as far as I know so if you do, it won't matter. The best results are obtained by applying on the outside though - particularly the clitoris because that is where all the nerve endings are. So if you only have a very small amount of cream to work with apply it on the clitoris first and then spread out from there to the lips.

I don't know how long it will take before you notice a difference because we are all individuals with different sensitivities. If you are only using 1/4 of a dose that is a tiny amount but it will still build up eventually. If you haven't noticed any difference in your libido after a couple of weeks then try increasing it to 1/2 a dose.

Testosterone does go into the blood stream so you may notice the first sign that it is working is often a feeling of confidence, sharpness of mind and enthusiasm for life. Once you find your libido has returned then maybe cut it down-use less and only a few times a week. If that is not enough you can always increase it again.The body does hold on to it for quite a while and if you use too much it can take quite a while for the effects to wear off. If you start feeling irritable then that is a sign you have used too much.

I talk of libido but it is different for me now than before surgical menopause. I do not usually have any real sexual desire before starting sex but when I do I definitely have a libido. So I don't know what you are expecting-everyone is different. I am just suggesting you may not know whether it is working until you try.

Good luck and I hope that helps

janet c

Hi Anxiety,

I use to put my estradiol on the labia and it didn't matter which. It is suppose to absorb easier there and I was told to I didn't need to use as much as I would have if used on my inner arm.

As far as the libido... I have just this week began feeling my T so I'm probably not the one to ask but will tell you that I have not noticed an increased interest in having sex however once I'm involved my orgasims are more powerful and multiple.

Hope this helps,

Thanks again ladies. I was just assuming it shouldn't go into the vagina. It didn't say anywhere on my prescription so I have been trying really hard not to get it too close to that area. But it will be alot easier to apply if I apply it on the clitoris and then everywhere else.

Does T cream help with vaginal dryness also? I remember reading that somewhere and have noticed I am more lubricated since I have been using it. I had taken out my estring because I was having alot of jitteriness and nervousness when it was in. It seems I can only using it for a couple of weeks before the side effects start then I take it out and wait awhile and then put it back in. If the T cream continues to help with dryness I am not even going to put the estring back in again. I must be really sensitive to synthetic estrogen. Besides, my bloodwork showed my estrogen within normal range. Just my T was low. Since I am almost 49, I'm sure my levels will start dropping at some point. LOL

I believe it most definitely does help with vaginal dryness. The only problem is that eventually you may find you don't need to use so much T cream because the effects will build up. You may only need it now and again and of course then you will need your estring.
janet c

JanetC, what is your gel-cream formula? How much of each? And is there really no sting if you mix gel and cream?

Anxiety123, I find that a tiny dab on my wrist daily maintains the mood benefit JanetC has described, so I use it that way in addition to vaginal application which is less frequent.

GK

I can't really tell you exactly but it probably wouldn't be enough for most women. Don't forget I don't use estrogen so I only need a tiny amount.
From a sachet of Testogel (containing 50mg testosterone in 5g gel)-I put a bead into about 20g of baby cream. It doesnt sound very strong but I still have to be careful with it. I wear plastic gloves when I mix it and I am very careful not to get any extra on me when I open the pot. I then use the tiniest amount straight on the clitoris-and then I use a vaginal lubricant as well so I can spread it around even more. I must be only using an extremely small amount but it is extremely powerful stuff! Only two weeks ago I made the mistake of using it two days in a row. I had one day of feeling amazing in every way- fantastic sex drive and just so happy and then after that I crashed and had increased hot flushes and anxiety for two days.

In the dilution I am using there is obviously no sting. I would imagine even if you were to make it up a bit stronger it still wouldn't sting because the ratio of cream to gel would be still very high.

I used a tiny dab on the wrist today actually and it was just right.

janet c

Brilliant! Thank you for this. It sounds ideal.
GK

Janet,
How long have you been using T? And do you rotate the areas of application so hair does not grow? I did start T a couple weeks ago and I have to say I'm liking it. And I had stopped the E as I was bleeding quite a bit (not sure it was even related), but I'm afraid of T side effects if I'm not using E. I'm using half the dose Rx'd--there is 2mg per gram and I am supposed to use 1 gram/day. So I'm using .5 gram/day. Does that dose sound OK to use without E?

S.

Oh Sariah-I don't know for sure. If your T levels are low then that should be ok while they build up, but without E- who knows? If you do it gradually you will know when you have enough. I found that when I used a little estriol cream also the intensity of feeling was greater. It just makes me feel so anxious and tearful that I cant use it but if you can then I would recommend it.
If you are not applying T vaginally then yes its probably good to rotate it.
I am glad it is starting to work anyway!

I have been using it for about 18 months but for a lot of that time I was using too much and it made me feel pretty cold and unemotional ,apart from all the other side effects so it has been difficult getting the right balance. I still wish I could use a little vaginal estrogen. I wonder if premarin cream would make me less tearful? I was offered it by the surgeon at my last check up but I refused because of the horse urine thing. I really can't use the tiniest dot of estriol!

janet c

Hi Janet

Just found this old post and hope you dont mind me coming back to it. I am 53 years old and low testosterone <0.7, I have been told to have testogel by consultant but GP wont prescribe so am currently waiting to go back to consultant for her to prescribe initially. I see you are from the UK so wondered if you had any problems and how you got around them. Also is the Testogel still working for you and any tips for me on starting this when I do eventually get it. Like you I will not be having oestrogen as my Est is high and I have a fibroid so dont want to feed it any more..... It is great to find someone local who is in the same situation and would really appreciate any advice you could give me ( or anyone leses you reads this)...am new to this forum so not sure how it works yet...just got really excitied when read the post and had to wrtie.

Thank you and look forward to some advise.

Barbara

Hi Barbra
Getting testosterone in the Uk can be difficult as it isn't licensed to be prescribed by GPs. I use a compounded testosterone gel which I got from my anti aging specialist in London. As Janet says it needs to be applied in the morning. Uzzi Reiss has written a good bio identical hormone book with quite a few mentions of testosterone and libido.
The reason GPs are so wary about testosterone for women is due to prescribing off license. There have been no lengthy detailed large studies of women using testosterone so it does get confusingand bound with red tape. I have read that one manufacturer is hoping to get a testorone product on the market for wome called Libigell. This should first be available in the USA but hopefully it will open the door to greater availability.
I only use mine once weekly and always get a large spot on my chin on application day lol
Louise