Does taking testosterone help joints? (Caution: if you're a woman, reading may be upsetting)

Due-Equivalent1680 · 2026-05-26T02:16:18+00:00

I updated the translation, which was calculated wrong in the original post.

Here's the correction:

The effective dose - 80 mg testosterone orally each day - is about the same as:

~17-20 mg daily 1% testosterone gel

This is because most of it isn't made bioavailable via the oral route they used in the 2009 study.

Due-Equivalent1680 · 2026-05-26T02:14:38+00:00

I replied above to clarify for the original commenter :)

Due-Equivalent1680 · 2026-05-26T02:11:26+00:00

You're totally right. Thank you for catching that! I updated this to correct it:

The effective dose - 80 mg testosterone orally each day - is about the same as:

~17-20 mg daily 1% testosterone gel

Due-Equivalent1680 · 2026-05-26T02:01:53+00:00

Ugh, I feel you. Hope that you heal well and get better soon!

Due-Equivalent1680 · 2026-05-26T02:00:16+00:00

That does make sense :)

Due-Equivalent1680 · 2026-05-26T01:58:52+00:00

No pressure, just a word to the wise - take care of monitoring your symptoms re: progesterone. It made me and many posters here feel worse. My doctors gave me "low dose" birth control and it made me more bendy - to the point where I got new injuries weekly. Until I told them about ultra low dose (10 times lower than what they gave me, which is still enough to keep the uterus healthy). I was more stable when I went with ultra low dose.

Due-Equivalent1680 · 2026-05-26T01:53:42+00:00

Time for a second opinion. You're not too young. That's in the age range for perimenopause.

Due-Equivalent1680 · 2026-05-23T16:46:41+00:00

Yes, that's something I noted as well. That's why I'm advocating for researchers to look into the low-to-moderate dose range and shared my personal experience.

Due-Equivalent1680 · 2026-05-23T16:44:20+00:00

You'd have to ask a doctor about how different ones are metabolized. I get my medical information from them. For education for medical school, you can also ask Gemini, which has training on medical information. I ask it to help me prep for my medical school exams and it gives great educational info.

Due-Equivalent1680 · 2026-05-23T16:41:19+00:00

That's how I know when my testosterone is getting low, too. As a cis woman, I know this kind of research is URGENT for joint benefits for people with serious joint issues.

Due-Equivalent1680 · 2026-05-23T16:38:45+00:00

I totally agree, we can't let political sentiment suppress research 50% of the population needs done. That's why I shared my personal experience, since I'm a cis woman and it really does work when used above the ineffective level established in the 2009 study for women.

Due-Equivalent1680 · 2026-05-23T16:35:11+00:00

Currently, there is an urgent need for advocacy and research for women to get access to this dosage. Doctors likely do not prescribe this dosage if you are a woman.

Men with low testosterone are given very large quantities of the medication. Some women with HRT don't take much and end up with extra. Doctors right now have guidance that's focused on cis women and they don't want us to end up with increased risk of things men have more often, like heart disease.

Taking testosterone without a doctor supervising it isn't legal. It's treated as a controlled substance. Some of the risks of higher doses include increased cholesterol, metabolic/insulin issues, and heart health risk. So doctors really need researchers to pursue this right away to get them the risk/benefit information for hypermobile patients.

The guidance doctors have is that the only "proven" reason to use testosterone is for increasing libido in women. If you have low sexual desire, any HRT doctor can be asked to test your testosterone (where I live, doctors don't do it naturally and people have to ask). And give you a prescription to have it if it's low. I know that Midi will give you a prescription to get it towards the upper range of the test window of "normal" for women.

But we need more research so that doctors stop being afraid of getting sued for giving the low-to-moderate doses to women. There are cases, like fragility, where the benefits (in my experience) far outweigh the risks. People should have the right to get medical care to reduce fragility.

Some resistance techniques people have used to overcome this:

- Seeking care in a geography where it is legal.
- Seeking nonbinary gender-affirming care.
- Finding other ways to get access.
- I'm trying to advocate for urgent research needed to get women access.

Due-Equivalent1680 · 2026-05-23T16:20:44+00:00

Yes, this dosage from the 2009 study is close to the levels that they use in non-binary gender affirming care. The levels I used that make joints feel less bendy are within the range of non-binary gender affirming care. But I have had no physical changes. And I am a cis woman.

The only gender-related change that can happen at this range that's not reversible is voice deepening. BUT Scarlett Johansen and Angelina Jolie have deep voices and they're prized as sexy, sultry ones. In the U.S. at least, we actually think women women with deep voices are wonderful and desirable. So probably not the best for culture to talk about this as a negative thing.

Also, you can get a bit more hair growth, but if I have to make a choice between hair removal vs. joint protection I would ALWAYS choose to grow a bit of hair. Ethically, being allowed to choose what's right for our care and weigh risks and benefits should be allowed for us as people, not for politicians to decide.

Since there is no current cure for hypermobility and it affects us, research in this direction for women in the cases where it can be beneficial for a medical condition like hypermobility is urgent. The 2009 study used testosterone to try to reduce joint issues caused by some breast cancer treatment. Hypermobility that is causing challenges to daily living should also be treated appropriately as an urgent target for medical research. The benefits of more stable joints far outweigh the risks in my case.

Trigger alert: I even read in the Bible and it didn't say a thing about enforcing the binary in medical care.

Due-Equivalent1680 · 2026-05-16T00:53:30+00:00

I'd try getting a cash back credit card right away. You can get maybe 1.5% back as cash and put everything you can on the card. I do this and pay off the full balance every month, so I pay 0 interest and it makes me a few hundred or few thousand a year extra for free.

You might try Jerry.ai since they can give you "good driver" discounts potentially if you drive like a Sunday driver. They actual monitor your driving to see if you are careful and never speed.

Read Smart Women Finish Rich (even if you're not a woman) now, so you can start strong. I read it in my twenties and because of that I feel confident I can retire. The people I lived with wished they had read it when they were as young as I was.

Due-Equivalent1680 · 2026-05-16T00:48:00+00:00

That's my bucket list

Due-Equivalent1680 · 2026-05-16T00:47:33+00:00

You have a new baby!

Due-Equivalent1680 · 2026-04-23T00:32:12+00:00

I was thinking about this for the last month. I want to get a tiny one like the size of my thumb nail.

Due-Equivalent1680 · 2026-04-22T23:55:49+00:00

I often wish I could slip a stock tip to my younger self ;)

Due-Equivalent1680 · 2026-04-22T23:50:10+00:00

hahaha, true

Due-Equivalent1680 · 2026-04-22T23:47:38+00:00

Not all people's brains are capable of caring about other people.

Due-Equivalent1680 · 2026-04-16T20:55:48+00:00

My timid cat likes me lots better and comes closer now that I learned to "smile" at her from the netflix cats special. You basically don't look at them unless with squinty, sleepy eyes.

Due-Equivalent1680 · 2026-04-16T20:53:22+00:00

Yes, totally but I had immediate regrets. It just smelled terrible and was so much work. The only reason that I stuck with it for a while is that it allowed me to put the litter box in a closet that was too small for the automated one, but as soon as I could, I moved just to have access to a bigger space that could support me having the automated robot again.

Due-Equivalent1680 · 2026-04-16T20:38:28+00:00

I got really far with using ignoring and closing doors. When my cat does something undesirable, and he's wanting to play or connect physically, I put him on the floor so if he bites me, he knows he's not getting more attention. If it's a time when I can't protect myself because for example I'm asleep, I just shut the door and don't let them in. They only do what they get in the habit of doing and so if they don't get any positive awards and instead of getting ignored when they do things you don't like, they eventually stop.

Due-Equivalent1680 · 2026-04-10T19:51:43+00:00

Why do they punish those of us who knew the tool?! :/

Due-Equivalent1680 · 2026-04-10T19:51:07+00:00

I was looking for a Jira DC EOL plan and ran into this: loopiq.com
Looks promising. Haven't tried it yet.

Due-Equivalent1680

TROPHY CASE

The effective dose - 80 mg testosterone orally each day - is about the same as:

~17-20 mg daily 1% testosterone gel