RISK FACTORS

clinic and paying for a ‘female’ prescription. ‘There is a testosterone cream called Androfeme that is a regulated medication but it has to be prescribed privately and costs around 80p a day,’ explains Dr Newson. ‘It’s quite outrageous that women don’t have a licensed testosterone preparation of their own, but I’m really hoping this will change with time.’

Recent studies have shown no increased risk of heart disease and cancer from testosterone therapy.

‘Too much in women can cause bad temper and aggression, and it can also bring on acne and excessive body hair,’ explains Dr Gluck. However, provided it’s taken in the recommended doses, testosterone therapy is unlikely to cause extreme physical changes. NHS guidance states that variable side effects are also related to menopause status, use of HRT and personal genetics.

Dr Newson advises seeing a doctor who specialises in the menopause if your

trained to prescribe testosterone – you can ask to be referred to your nearest NHS menopause clinic. ‘It’s useful to have blood tests taken to determine that your testosterone levels are low, and women using testosterone should have their blood test monitored regularly, usually every year,’ she says.

It’s also important to remember that contributing factors such as past experiences and relationship issues

it may be helpful to explore worrying thoughts and feelings around sex with

cause is likely to be psychological, physical or a combination of both. This can be done alone or in the form of couples counselling. Sex therapy isn’t available on the NHS but registered therapists can be found via local Relate services; from £69 for an initial consultation, relate.org.uk