The 'T' Word
Testosterone may be exactly what we need more of to sustain our busy lives
Testosterone: Back in the Spotlight
The Forgotten Hormone
For decades, testosterone was framed as a male hormone and treated as irrelevant or even risky for women. Yet as early as the 1930s, testosterone was being trialled in women for its effects on vitality, mood and energy. It wasn’t associated with libido at the time, largely due to the social and moral attitudes of the era. By the late 20th century, testosterone had quietly disappeared from most therapeutic options for women, overtaken by the focus on estrogen and progesterone.
Libido is simply sexual motivation or desire and it’s closely linked to overall drive and energy, not something separate from them. While testosterone directly supports sexual and urogenital health, its benefits reach far wider, influencing mood, motivation and the deeper sense of vitality that fuels a full and engaged life.
I’ve chosen to begin this piece by talking about testosterone therapy simply because it gives me hope. In an age where so many women live under chronic stress with high cortisol levels, it’s exciting to see something that can help restore balance, strength and clarity. But it’s worth remembering that testosterone is not an add-on or synthetic fix; it’s part of the body’s natural design. Produced in the ovaries, adrenal glands and peripheral tissues in women, it supports energy, mood, muscle repair and mental focus throughout life, long before any prescription is ever needed.
Understanding this natural system helps explain why restoring balance later can be so effective. I always advocate starting with the foundations: good nutrition, movement, deep rest, and practices that calm and nourish the nervous system in a world of constant stimulation.
Integration sits at the heart of lasting wellbeing. The body, mind, emotions and soul are not separate systems but one responsive network. Eastern traditions have long understood this, and modern science now echoes it: when the body feels supported and safe, hormones recalibrate and vitality returns from the inside out.
Testosterone Therapy: Every Body’s Choice
What excites me most about testosterone therapy is that it’s not foreign to the body. The form used in therapy is bioidentical, meaning it has the exact same molecular structure as the testosterone women naturally produce in the ovaries, adrenal glands and peripheral tissues. Because of this, the body recognises and uses it in the same way as its own hormone.
Women make three to four times more testosterone than estrogen before menopause, yet are rarely told this or offered support as levels decline.