Testosterone is all the rage

What you'll learn

• 1 (01:39) **The Testosterone Boom: Prescriptions Are Surging** - The episode opens by framing testosterone as a cultural phenomenon, noting that US prescriptions hit 11 million in 2024, up from 7.3 million five years earlier, and that people are getting it from unconventional sources.
• 2 (03:09) **What Testosterone Is and Who Has It** - Journalist Susan Dominus explains the basic biology: both sexes produce testosterone, but men have 10 times more, and women's levels decline more dramatically with age.
• 3 (04:28) **The Two Tracks for Women: Standard Doses vs. High Doses** - Dominus describes the stark difference between women on medically approved doses and those on much higher, unregulated doses.
• 4 (06:48) **The Unregulated Market for Women's Testosterone** - Testosterone is not FDA-approved for women at any dose, and insurance does not cover it, creating a lucrative cash-pay market.
• 5 (08:52) **Why the FDA Hasn't Approved Testosterone for Women** - The last major trial, by Procter & Gamble for a testosterone patch, showed benefits but was derailed by a 2002 menopause hormone therapy scare.
• 6 (10:09) **The Political and Gender Paradox** - The episode draws a parallel between conservative women taking high-dose testosterone and gender-affirming care for transgender people.
• 7 (12:13) **A Profile of a Woman Who Would Do It All Again** - Dominus shares the story of a woman in her late 40s who lost 40% of her hair after high-dose T, but still says she would do it again.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app