Testosterone in Women: Signs Yours Might Be Low (And How to Support It Naturally)
- Aug 5
- 3 min read
Say the word "testosterone" to most women and the reaction is pretty predictable.
Deep voices. Beards. Biceps. No thanks.
Chill out, it's not all about that. Testosterone is a genuinely important hormone for women, and understanding it might just change how you think about your training, your energy, and how you feel week to week.
Yes, Women Produce Testosterone Too
Testosterone in women is produced in the ovaries and adrenal glands. Smaller amounts than men, obviously, but it's doing a lot of heavy lifting behind the scenes:
Muscle and recovery — helps you build and maintain muscle, and bounce back from sessions
Energy, mood and focus — supports drive, mental sharpness and a stable mood
Bone and connective tissue health — a big one for long-term strength and injury resistance
Stamina — supports your capacity to train and keep going
Libido — sex drive and sexual function are closely linked to testosterone levels
Pretty badass for a hormone women are told to be scared of.
And no, normal, healthy levels won't make you bulky, hairy or deep-voiced. Neither will lifting weights. That fear has kept far too many women away from the squat rack for far too long.
Signs Your Testosterone Might Be Low
Because nobody talks about testosterone in women, low levels often go unnoticed or get put down to "just being tired" or "just getting older". Common signs include:
Persistent fatigue and low energy
Low sex drive
Loss of strength and muscle tone (or struggling to build it despite training)
Brain fog and trouble concentrating
Low mood or feeling flat and unmotivated
Worth saying clearly: these symptoms can have lots of causes, so don't self-diagnose off a blog. If several of these sound familiar and they're persistent, speak to your GP, a blood test is the only way to know for sure.
Your Cycle Affects It (And Your Training)
Here's something I see a lot at the gym.
During your period, testosterone dips. And that dip can have a real effect, on your training, your mood towards exercise, even your mood towards food. Sessions feel harder. Motivation drops. Everything feels like a slog.
Then it builds back up, and suddenly you're flying again.
That's not you being inconsistent or lazy! That's hormones doing what hormones do. Understanding the pattern means you can work with it rather than beating yourself up about it.
What Happens in Perimenopause?
You've probably heard plenty about oestrogen falling off a cliff during perimenopause. Testosterone declines too but here's the interesting bit: it drops off much more slowly.
The bigger picture is that testosterone actually peaks in your 20s and gradually declines from there. By the time you reach menopause, levels can be around half of what they once were.
That makes looking after it a genuinely valuable move through your 40s and 50s. Muscle, bone density, energy, mood, testosterone is quietly supporting all of it, right when you need it most.
Which raises the obvious question: how do you look after it?
How to Increase Testosterone Naturally (No Prizes for Guessing #1)
The good news is that supporting healthy testosterone production isn't complicated. The basics, done consistently, do the job:
1. Strength training. Yep, you guessed it. Resistance training has been shown to increase testosterone in women, particularly compound movements like squats, deadlifts and rows, done with progressive overload (gradually adding weight over time). A couple of proper sessions a week goes a long way.
2. Sleep. Good, consistent sleep patterns. Your hormones are largely regulated while you sleep, so short-changing it short-changes everything else. Aim for 7–9 hours.
3. Diet. High protein, moderate healthy fats. Hormones are literally built from fats, so the ultra-low-fat approach works against you here. Eggs, oily fish, olive oil, nuts, real food, basically. Nutrients like zinc, magnesium and omega-3s all support production too.
4. Manage your stress. Here's one people miss: cortisol (your stress hormone) and testosterone are made from the same raw material. Chronic stress means more cortisol and less testosterone. Walks, downtime, saying no occasionally, it all counts as hormone support.
One caveat: more training isn't better here. Overtraining, constant hammering with no recovery, can actually push testosterone down. Consistency beats punishment. As always.
My Final Notes
Testosterone isn't a "male hormone" women should fear. It's part of what keeps you strong, energised, focused and resilient, through your cycle, through perimenopause, and through life.
You don't need anything fancy to support it. Train with weights. Sleep properly. Eat enough protein and healthy fats. Keep stress in check.
Funny how it always comes back to the basics, isn't it?
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