Who it may be for, and who it is not for
May be for
- Women after menopause whose low sexual desire causes them distress, after a physician has looked at other causes [1]
- Women already on, or starting, estrogen therapy: at VevaMD testosterone is an add-on to an estrogen plan, never a plan of its own
What the evidence shows
A 2019 meta-analysis of randomized trials in women found that testosterone increased satisfying sexual events by an average of 0.85 a month compared with placebo (95% CI 0.52 to 1.18). Desire, arousal, orgasm and pleasure scores rose and distress fell [2]. Those are averages; some women notice a change and others do not.
The Global Consensus Position Statement, endorsed by menopause and endocrine societies around the world including the Menopause Society, says the only evidence-based use of testosterone in women is for hypoactive sexual desire disorder, and that there are insufficient data to support it for any other symptom or condition. It describes the benefit as about one more satisfying sexual event a month, and found no effect on general wellbeing or depressed mood [1]. A 2021 clinical guideline from the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health calls the benefit moderate and says long-term safety has not been established [3].
The forms, and why ours is compounded
No testosterone product made for women is approved by a national regulator, the consensus notes, so it calls an approved men’s product at a woman’s dose reasonable and says compounded “bioidentical” testosterone cannot be recommended [1]. VevaMD’s testosterone cream is compounded, not FDA-approved. That is a trade-off your physician talks through with you at your live video visit, along with the alternatives.
How long it takes, and the labs
- Before you startA total testosterone blood test, so a starting level is known [1], and a live video visit with your physician.
- 3 to 6 weeksThe consensus advises repeating the level 3 to 6 weeks after starting [1].
- Every 3 monthsAt VevaMD the lab is repeated every 3 months and included in your price, so your physician can keep the level in the female range.
- By 6 monthsIf there is no benefit by 6 months, the consensus advises stopping [1].
Side effects and risks
- Acne and hair growth. Mild increases in acne and in body or facial hair occur in some women [1]; the meta-analysis found both more likely than on placebo [2].
- No serious adverse events were recorded in the trials, at doses that keep levels in the normal female range [2] [1].
- Cholesterol. Testosterone by mouth raised LDL cholesterol in the trials; testosterone through the skin did not [2].
- Long-term safety has not been established [3], which is one more reason the levels are checked and the plan reviewed.
Does the FDA label change apply?
No. The FDA’s 2025 to 2026 changes were to the labels of estrogen and progestogen products [4]. There is no FDA-approved testosterone product for women whose label could change. More on the change: the FDA label change tracker.
Is VevaMD’s testosterone cream FDA-approved?
No. It is compounded by a state-licensed pharmacy for one patient and is not FDA-approved. The FDA has not reviewed it for safety, effectiveness or quality. If you want it, you choose it in your intake as an add-on to your estrogen plan, and your physician decides at a live video visit whether it fits you.