Women want testosterone, too

KERA's Think

KERA

Society & Culture, 071003, Kera, Think, Krysboyd

4.8 • 861 Ratings

🗓️ 14 November 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Muscle-bound bodybuilders may line up for testosterone replacement therapy – and increasingly, so do menopausal women. Susan Dominus, staff writer at The New York Times Magazine, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why middle-aged women are raving about its benefits — despite possible side effects — and why the FDA hasn’t approved any use of the hormone for women. Her article is “‘I’m on Fire’: Testosterone Is Giving Women Back Their Sex Drive — and Then Some.”

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Have you heard about OMG Yes?
0:03.0	This is a website of new findings from the largest ever research study into women's pleasure and intimacy in partnership with researchers at Yale and IU.
0:12.0	When you see that kind of evidence-based, open, honest portrayal of what feels good and why, it becomes so obvious. That's just how this should be.
0:25.2	The techniques are beautifully organized and presented with women of diverse ages,
0:30.8	sharing their experiences, no shame, no blushing, just enthusiasm that makes you want to learn more.
0:35.1	You can watch OMG Yes, All By Yourself, you can watch with a partner, or you can discuss it with friends like a book club.
0:38.1	See for yourself at omg yes.com. That's omg yes.com.
0:48.1	Men who take medication to restore youthful levels of testosterone rave about its effects on energy,
0:59.4	muscle and bone density, mood, libido, and sexual function.
1:03.9	In our culture of health optimization, why wouldn't women ask for the same things?
1:09.7	From KERA in Dallas, this is Think. I'm Chris Boyd.
1:13.7	At the age when many women consider estrogen replacement to manage perimenopause symptoms,
1:18.8	increasing numbers are getting prescriptions for supplemental testosterone as well, or instead.
1:25.2	As my guest has learned, some female patients discover the benefits of testosterone are on par with what men get, but the side effects can hit harder.
1:33.8	Susan Domino's is the staff writer at the New York Times Magazine where you can find her article, I'm on fire.
1:39.7	Testosterone is giving women back their sex drive and then some. Susan, welcome back to think.
1:45.2	It's a true pleasure.
1:46.4	Just want to start with this.
1:47.7	Transgender men use testosterone to change their bodies, but that is not our focus here, right?
1:53.4	How did you discover how many women who don't want to change their gender have started seeking out testosterone?
2:02.6	Well, I wrote an article for the New York Times Magazine a couple of years ago about menopausal hormone therapy, which primarily refers to
2:09.5	estrogen and progestins. And at the time, a couple of people, you know, I interviewed doctors,
	...

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