Yes — women have testosterone. Here is why it matters.

Testosterone is produced in women by the ovaries, adrenal glands, fat cells and skin cells. Normal levels in adult women range from 15 to 70 nanograms per deciliter — approximately one tenth to one twentieth of male levels. While the amount is smaller, the biological role is not minor.

Women's bodies produce testosterone in the ovaries, adrenal glands, fat cells and skin cells, and generally produce about one tenth to one twentieth of the amount that men's bodies produce. What those smaller amounts do, however, is significant and largely underappreciated.

Testosterone in women directly supports libido, muscle protein synthesis, bone density, dopamine signalling, cognitive sharpness and the confidence and verbal fluency peak at ovulation. It is not a background hormone. It is a performance hormone — for the brain and the body equally.

Do women have testosterone?
Yes. Women produce testosterone in the ovaries, adrenal glands, fat cells and skin cells. Normal levels range from 15 to 70 nanograms per deciliter — one tenth to one twentieth of male levels. Testosterone in women supports libido, muscle strength, energy, motivation, bone density and the ovulatory confidence peak that many women notice without knowing its cause.

What testosterone does across the female cycle

Testosterone in women does not hold steady — it follows the cycle, peaking briefly around ovulation alongside oestrogen. This is one of the most underappreciated facts in women's hormonal health.

Days 1 to 13 (menstrual and follicular). Testosterone rises gradually as oestrogen rises. Training response improves. Motivation and drive increase. The body becomes more anabolic — more capable of building and repairing muscle.

Days 14 to 16 (ovulatory). Testosterone peaks briefly alongside oestrogen. This is the window where the research shows the highest verbal fluency, strongest confidence, greatest social assertiveness and strongest libido. Many women describe feeling "most like themselves" in this window without knowing the hormonal mechanism behind it. Read more about the ovulatory phase and how to use this window deliberately.

Days 17 to 28 (luteal). Testosterone falls as progesterone rises. The anabolic environment diminishes. Training recovery becomes harder. Motivation and drive reduce — which is physiologically appropriate, not a character flaw.

When does testosterone peak in the female cycle?
Testosterone peaks briefly around ovulation — days 14 to 16 — alongside oestrogen. This creates the highest window of confidence, verbal fluency, social drive and libido in the cycle. Understanding this peak allows women to use it deliberately rather than experiencing it as unexplained mood variation.
What does testosterone do in women's bodies?
Libido and sexual response. Muscle protein synthesis and strength gains from training. Bone density. Dopamine signalling — motivation, drive and reward. The ovulatory confidence and verbal fluency peak. Fat metabolism. Cognitive sharpness and focus. It is produced throughout the cycle with a brief peak at ovulation.
The week you feel most confident, most assertive, most like yourself — that is your testosterone peak. It arrives every cycle. The question is whether you know it is coming.

Signs of low testosterone in women — what to look for

Low testosterone in women is less clearly defined than in men because there is no established deficiency threshold — but the symptoms are real and measurable. The challenge is that they overlap significantly with other hormonal issues, thyroid dysfunction, iron deficiency and burnout, which is why self-diagnosis without testing is unreliable.

Persistent fatigue — particularly the kind that does not resolve with adequate sleep or rest, and is not explained by low ferritin or thyroid issues.

Low libido — the most clinically supported symptom of low testosterone in women. Low libido is the only symptom of low testosterone in women where there is adequate evidence to support the use of testosterone therapy.

Reduced motivation and drive — testosterone is a dopamine-adjacent hormone. When it is consistently low, the neurochemical environment for motivation, ambition and reward-seeking is diminished.

Difficulty building or maintaining muscle — despite consistent resistance training, muscle gains are slower or absent. Testosterone is directly anabolic in women as in men, though at smaller concentrations.

Low mood and flat affect — distinct from the cyclical premenstrual low mood driven by progesterone and serotonin. Testosterone-related mood flatness tends to be persistent rather than cyclical.

Reduced confidence — particularly if the mid-cycle confidence peak that most women experience has become noticeably absent.

Reference: Cleveland Clinic, Testosterone in Women — What You Need to Know.

What are the signs of low testosterone in women?
Persistent fatigue, low libido, reduced motivation and drive, difficulty building muscle despite consistent training, low mood or flat affect, and reduced confidence — particularly the absence of the mid-cycle peak. These symptoms overlap with other conditions. A blood test on a specific cycle day is the only reliable way to assess testosterone levels accurately.

How to increase testosterone naturally in women — the evidence

Resistance training — the strongest stimulus. Heavy compound movements — squats, deadlifts, presses — produce the largest acute testosterone response of any lifestyle intervention. Training intensity directly influences testosterone production in both men and women. The follicular and ovulatory phases — when the body is most anabolic and cortisol sensitivity is lower — produce the best training response and the most significant hormonal stimulus. Read the complete guide to training by hormonal phase.

Adequate dietary fat. Testosterone is synthesised from cholesterol. Women eating very low fat diets — particularly those avoiding saturated fats — consistently show lower testosterone levels. Including eggs, red meat, dairy, avocado and olive oil provides the raw material the body needs for hormone synthesis. This is one of the most overlooked reasons why extremely low-calorie or very low-fat diets worsen hormonal symptoms in women.

Zinc supplementation. Zinc is a direct cofactor in testosterone synthesis and is also involved in aromatase regulation — the enzyme that converts testosterone to oestrogen. Adequate zinc supports both testosterone production and appropriate androgen balance. Zinc is found in red meat, shellfish, pumpkin seeds and legumes, and is depleted by hormonal contraception.

Vitamin D optimisation. Research consistently links vitamin D deficiency with lower sex hormone levels including testosterone. Most women in northern latitudes and those spending significant time indoors are deficient. Target serum 25(OH)D levels of 50 to 80 nmol/L with supplementation adjusted accordingly.

Sleep quality. Testosterone is primarily synthesised during deep sleep. Chronic sleep deprivation — particularly deep sleep disruption — directly reduces testosterone production. This is one of the mechanisms by which the luteal phase sleep disruption affects not just mood but also body composition and training response in the premenstrual week. Read more about sleep and the hormonal cycle.

Reducing chronic cortisol. Cortisol and testosterone share the same precursor molecule (pregnenolone). Chronic stress redirects pregnenolone toward cortisol production at the expense of both oestrogen and testosterone. Managing cortisol — through cycle-aware training, consistent sleep and adequate recovery — is therefore also a testosterone support strategy. Read more about how cortisol disrupts the hormonal cycle.

How can women increase testosterone naturally?
The most evidence-backed approaches: heavy resistance training especially in the follicular and ovulatory phases, adequate dietary fat including saturated fat and cholesterol, zinc supplementation, vitamin D optimisation to 50-80 nmol/L, protecting deep sleep quality, and reducing chronic cortisol load through cycle-aware training and stress management. These address the mechanisms of testosterone synthesis rather than bypassing them.