Legal Testosterone Uses: Understanding Prescriptions & Applications

Testosterone abuse among athletes is clearly a problem. Yet there are many legal uses of prescribed testosterone for both men and women. Sometimes this relates to hormone levels, but it has other uses too.

Definition

• Testosterone is a hormone that is found in both men and women; men have far more than women do.

Legal Use in Men

• Some men have naturally lower levels of testosterone than the average. When this descends to abnormal levels, they might be given testosterone. A male contraceptive using testosterone is also being developed.

Legal Use in Women

• Testosterone is one of the drugs used to treat menopause-related issues. It can also be used to treat symptoms of terminal breast cancer.

Legal Use in Sex Transition

• Biological females who are transitioning to males are often prescribed testosterone.

Illegal Use

• Athletes and bodybuilders have used testosterone illegally to enhance muscle strength. 80 percent of positive illegal drug tests among athletes are due to testosterone and two related drugs.