Androgens are a group of hormones most people associate with men, but they play essential roles in the female body too. Women produce androgens in smaller amounts than men, and these hormones contribute to bone strength, muscle maintenance, energy, and sexual desire. The ovaries and adrenal glands together produce about 40% to 50% of a woman’s testosterone, the most well-known androgen, with the rest made through conversion in other tissues like fat and skin.
The Main Androgens in Women
Testosterone is the primary androgen in all people, regardless of sex. In women, normal testosterone levels generally fall below 40 ng/dL, a fraction of typical male levels. About 10% of your testosterone converts daily into a more potent form called dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which influences skin and hair.
But testosterone isn’t the only androgen circulating in your body. Several others act as building blocks that your body uses to manufacture both testosterone and estrogen:
- DHEA and DHEAS: Produced mainly by the adrenal glands, these are the most abundant androgens in women by volume. They peak during the late teens and then decline steadily with age.
- Androstenedione: Another precursor hormone that the body converts into testosterone or estrogen depending on what’s needed. Androstenedione levels tend to hold relatively steady until the mid-40s.
This means androgens don’t just act on their own. They serve as raw material for estrogen production, making them quietly central to the entire hormonal system in women.
Where Androgens Are Made
Two organs share the work. The ovaries produce androgens alongside estrogen as part of the normal menstrual cycle. The adrenal glands, small organs sitting on top of each kidney, contribute the other share, primarily DHEA and DHEAS. The remaining androgens come from peripheral conversion, where enzymes in fat tissue, skin, and other organs transform precursor hormones into active androgens or estrogens right where they’re needed.
This distributed production system matters because it means androgen levels don’t collapse entirely after menopause. The ovaries slow their output significantly, but the adrenal glands and peripheral tissues keep contributing.
What Androgens Do in the Female Body
Androgens influence more systems than most people realize. Testosterone supports bone density, which is one reason women become more vulnerable to osteoporosis as androgen levels drop with age. It also helps maintain lean muscle mass and plays a role in red blood cell production.
Sexual desire is one of the more well-studied effects. Low androgen levels have been linked to reduced libido and a general decline in sexual satisfaction, though the relationship is complicated. Androgens also appear to influence mood, energy levels, and overall sense of well-being, though researchers have struggled to pin down exact thresholds where symptoms begin.
Perhaps most importantly, androgens serve as precursors to estrogen. Your body can’t make estrogen without first making androgens. Enzymes convert testosterone and androstenedione into estrogen in the ovaries and in tissues throughout the body, a process that continues even after menopause.
How Androgen Levels Change With Age
Androgen decline in women starts earlier than most people expect. DHEA and DHEAS peak in the late teens and then drop progressively year after year. By midlife, total testosterone can fall by as much as 50%. After menopause, the rate of testosterone decline slows, with only a minimal further reduction. Androstenedione follows a slightly different pattern: it may not start dropping until after the mid-40s, then plateaus after roughly a 25% decrease by the 60s.
This gradual decline is a normal part of aging, not a disease. But it means that symptoms like low energy, reduced sex drive, or loss of muscle tone in midlife can sometimes trace back to lower androgen levels, even when estrogen levels are being managed through hormone therapy.
Signs of High Androgens
When androgen levels rise above the normal range, a condition called hyperandrogenism, the effects tend to be visible. Common symptoms include acne and persistently oily skin, excess body hair growing in typically male patterns (coarse, dark hair on the upper lip, chin, chest, abdomen, or back), irregular or absent periods, difficulty getting pregnant, and thinning hair on the scalp resembling male pattern baldness.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common cause of high androgens in women of reproductive age. Tumors of the ovaries or adrenal glands can also drive androgen levels up, though this is far less common. If you’re noticing several of these symptoms together, blood testing can help clarify whether elevated androgens are involved.
Signs of Low Androgens
Low androgen levels are harder to diagnose. The concept of “female androgen insufficiency” was formally defined at a Princeton consensus conference as a pattern of clinical symptoms, particularly low libido and fatigue, combined with decreased available testosterone and normal estrogen levels. But the diagnosis remains controversial. The Endocrine Society has recommended against formally diagnosing an “androgen deficiency syndrome” in healthy women because there’s no well-defined set of symptoms that reliably correlates with specific androgen levels.
Part of the problem is measurement. Standard blood tests (immunoassays) aren’t sensitive enough to accurately measure the low testosterone levels found in women. The Association for Diagnostics and Laboratory Medicine specifically advises against using immunoassay-based testosterone tests for women and recommends a more precise method called liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). If your doctor orders a testosterone test, it’s worth confirming which method the lab uses, since an inaccurate result can lead to misleading conclusions.
Testosterone Therapy for Women
The idea of replacing androgens in women the way estrogen is replaced during menopause sounds logical, but the evidence is limited. The strongest support exists for one narrow use: treating low sexual desire (hypoactive sexual desire disorder) in postmenopausal women. Studies have shown that physiological doses of testosterone can improve desire and sexual satisfaction in this group in the short term.
Beyond that, the Endocrine Society recommends against using testosterone therapy in women for infertility, cognitive health, cardiovascular protection, bone health, metabolic issues, or general well-being. They also recommend against routine DHEA supplementation due to limited evidence for its effectiveness and safety. One notable finding: a woman’s baseline testosterone level doesn’t predict whether she’ll respond to testosterone therapy, which makes it difficult to use blood levels alone to decide who might benefit.
A practical barrier also exists. Testosterone preparations designed specifically for female physiology aren’t available in many countries, including the United States. Women who do receive testosterone therapy typically use products formulated for men at adjusted doses, which makes precise dosing more challenging. Anyone receiving testosterone therapy should be monitored for signs of androgen excess, such as acne, unwanted hair growth, or voice deepening.