Exclusive | Testosterone is renewing womens sex…
Without testosterone, Shannon Gonzalez insists she’d most likely be divorced.
In 2021, her hair was falling out — and her libido was “in the toilet.” She had lately entered medically induced menopause, which unleashed a torrent of symptoms that rocked her profession, strained her marriage and shook her sense of self.
“Who is this person? I don’t recognize her,” Gonzalez, now 48, remembers pondering. “I felt like a fish out of water, and I didn’t know how to rebuild everything I’d lost.”
It would take years for her to discover the answer: testosterone, a hormone treatment that’s serving to a growing quantity of girls reignite their sex drives — among other advantages — despite not being permitted by the Food and Drug Administration.
Shannon and Hector Gonzalez, who married in 2022, have one youngster together. Shannon is also a mother to two kids from a earlier relationship. Courtesy of Shannon Gonzalez
Hormonal havoc
Because of her BRCA2 gene mutation, Gonzalez has an elevated risk for sure cancers. To cut back her risk, she underwent a hysterectomy and double mastectomy just months after giving start to her youngest of three kids.
The aftermath was brutal.
“My doctor for the hysterectomy was s–t,” Gonzalez, a licensed nursing assistant from Oakley, California, said. “He didn’t prepare me for the hormonal challenges that I was going to face at all.”
The surgical procedure thrust her into menopause as she juggled life with a new child, two teenage kids, a husband and a full-time job.
“I was at the bottom of the barrel,” Gonzalez said.
Brain fog made it onerous to work, aches and pains slowed her down, sleep was a wrestle and her motivation vanished. Hot flashes, evening sweats and clumps of hair falling out by the handful made issues worse.
“I actually had to attempt to keep up with him in the bed room. I just variety of went through the motions, pondering, ‘OK, maybe it’ll come back.’ “Shannon Gonzalez
“I’m very vain. I love doing hair and makeup every single day,” Gonzalez said. “When I didn’t have that hair, it was a huge blow to my self esteem.”
She was also struggling in the bed room, battling low libido and vaginal dryness. And due to other health points, she was on two drugs that are recognized to trigger inappropriate dysfunction.
Gonzalez entered medically induced menopause after having a complete hysterectomy that included the removing of her ovaries. Courtesy of Shannon Gonzalez
intimacy had always been central to her marriage, so the sudden shift was jarring.
“I really had to try to keep up with him in the bedroom,” Gonzalez said. “I just kind of went through the motions, thinking, ‘OK, maybe it’ll come back.’ ”
But the stress between the couple grew. Her husband, Hector, felt like he was always pursuing her, while she struggled to meet him midway.
“Don’t give up on me, I told him. Don’t stop trying,” Gonzalez pleaded.
The Gonzalezes had always shared a healthy, fulfilling sex life, but that modified when Shannon’s libido dropped following her medically induced menopause. Courtesy of Shannon Gonzalez/Eye Connoisseur Photography
Love, lust and low libido
Gonzalez’s expertise is a common one during menopause, when many girls face relationship challenges — and divorces rise, according to Massachusetts therapist Kimberly Solo.
“A lot of women just assume that part of their inappropriate identity is gone,” she told The Post. “Then I think it deteriorates their relationships because there’s no communication around it.”
Solo, 44, is aware of the wrestle firsthand.
“Around the age of 41 I started to get really tired, my energy really changed,” she said. “Then I noticed my sex drive went down, and my ability to orgasm was really compromised.”
“I enjoy sex more and want to have sex more. It brought back that desire again.”Kimberly Solo
In her apply, she’s seen how mismatched libidos can have an effect on a relationship.
“If you’re not talking and just saying ‘no’ to your partner when they initiate sex, they can sometimes feel hurt or rejected and stop trying,” she explained. “That’s a cycle that feeds itself, and the next thing you know, it’s been a month, then six months, then a year.”
She credited open communication with preserving her marriage strong while she searched for a resolution to reignite her want in the bed room.
Kimberly Solo has been a therapist for almost 20 years and specializes in treating grownup girls. Courtsy of Kimberly Solo
Turning to testosterone
After in depth research, Solo approached her OB-GYN about taking testosterone. While often seen as a “male” hormone, girls need it, too — albeit in smaller quantities.
“By midlife, many women have lost up to half of their natural testosterone,” said Joanna Strober, CEO and founder of Midi Health, a digital clinic serving girls with perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms.
“That decline shows up in ways women feel every day, like low energy, fatigue, brain fog, mood changes and even shifts in muscle and bone strength,” she continued.
Then there’s the impression on intimacy.
“When testosterone drops, libido often follows, and that can put real strain on relationships,” Strober said. “But it’s bigger than sex. It’s about how connected and confident you feel in your own body.”
Research suggests that restoring the hormone to premenopause ranges can increase libido, temper, vitality and strength. Yet federal regulators haven’t greenlit any testosterone merchandise particularly for girls, even though more than 30 are permitted for males.
As a consequence, Solo’s doctor refused to prescribe testosterone, citing potential unwanted side effects, restricted long-term security data and the dearth of FDA approval.
Testosterone therapies can be found in injections, capsules, gels, lotions and patches. Bernard Chantal – stock.adobe.com
“I don’t believe she had bad intentions,” she said, “but I was incredibly frustrated.”
Cases like Solo’s aren’t uncommon. Strober said that without FDA-approved testosterone therapies for girls, many sufferers are pressured to rely on off-label or compounded male formulations.
“That’s not ideal care,” Strober said. “It means women are getting products that were never designed for their physiology or dosing needs.”
“Now, instead of it always being one-sided with him climbing my tree, I’m climbing his.”Shannon Gonzalez
That, in flip, raises the risk of unwanted side effects. At low doses, they’re uncommon, but in increased quantities, girls taking testosterone could expertise pimples, hair loss, undesirable hair growth on the face, chest and back, voice deepening, temper modifications and other points.
Finding a resolution
Not one to take “no” for an reply, Solo turned to Midi Health, which started to offer testosterone to girls through a pilot program over a yr in the past and formally launched the service in October.
“We want to demystify testosterone,” Strober said. “If you’ve been struggling, there is a path forward, and you don’t have to do it alone.”
Joanna Strober based Midi Health after struggling to discover docs who may deal with her menopausal symptoms.
Midi’s clinician-led, exactly dosed topical cream for girls is accessible through its community of suppliers and coated by major insurers. It is provided in 12 states, with plans for a nationwide rollout as laws permit.
After a full analysis and lab work, the company created a customized testosterone plan for Solo. Within six weeks, she began noticing outcomes.
“I’m definitely not functioning energetically or inappropriately at the level I was in my 20s, but it’s certainly an improvement,” said Solo, now an unpaid Midi affected person ambassador.
A yr and a half later, she still experiences some menopausal symptoms but says the largest benefit has been inappropriate.
“It was hard to even have an orgasm before, so now that I can, I enjoy sex more and want to have sex more,” said Solo, who has had no hostile reactions to the medication. “It brought back that desire again.”
Gonzalez’s turnaround
Gonzalez noticed comparable outcomes. With testosterone injections, along with supplemental estrogen, progesterone and Addyi — a capsule for girls with low libido — she said her sex life has been reignited.
Shannon says hormone alternative therapy performed a key position in rekindling her sex life. Courtesy of Shannon Gonzalez
“Now, instead of it always being one-sided with him climbing my tree, I’m climbing his,” she said. “intimacy a couple of times a month has turned into sex every other day, which is a normal, healthy, loving relationship for us.”
Gonzalez went through three telehealth firms to get her testosterone, including Midi, and now makes use of Morph Health & Wellness.
The medication has boosted her motivation, improved her sleep, eased aches and pains, and even decreased scorching flashes and evening sweats without any unwanted side effects.
“It has transformed my life,” Gonzalez said. “I feel stronger than I’ve ever felt. I feel more healthy than I’ve ever been.”
Looking back on her journey, she urged other girls not to give up on themselves — or their sex lives.
“This is a temporary moment in time and this is going to pass,” Gonzalez said. “There is light at the end of the tunnel.”
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