How to Lower Testosterone in Women

By Jordan Stachel, MS, RDN, CPT

Testosterone is a sex hormone that is made by all people, both men and women. Sometimes, testosterone levels can get too high in women and can cause undesirable symptoms to occur. There are ways to bring levels back down to the optimal place. Read this article for everything you need to know.

What Is Testosterone?

Testosterone is a sex hormone that affects several processes in the body. Testosterone helps with the development of the major sex organs and helps men to fully develop their sexual reproductive system.

Testosterone is also important for women as it is made in the ovaries and in the adrenal glands. Women need the right balance of testosterone and estrogen in order for the ovaries to function optimally. This is important for optimizing the menstrual cycle, if a woman is considering having a child, and for post-menopause.

Why Do Women Have High Testosterone?

Women can have elevated testosterone levels for many reasons. Some of these reasons include:

• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): Polycystic ovary syndrome is one of the most common causes of elevated testosterone levels in women. PCOS is a disorder in which certain genes cause testosterone levels to be skewed. PCOS can also affect other hormones in the body, like insulin, which can affect a woman’s metabolic functioning.

• Age: Younger women who are premenopausal are more likely to have elevated testosterone levels compared to postmenopausal women.

• Ethnicity: People of certain ethnicities may be more likely to have higher testosterone levels than others.

How to Lower Testosterone Levels

Women who have elevated testosterone levels can take steps to reduce these levels. Some of these include:

• Lifestyle adjustments: If women have PCOS and also have obesity, losing weight may help optimize testosterone levels. This is partly due to the relationship that PCOS has with a woman’s insulin levels. If insulin levels are better optimized, metabolic functioning is also more optimal.

• Medications: With the help of a healthcare provider, you may be a candidate for certain medications like oral contraceptives that can help balance hormone levels. Your healthcare provider can also talk with you about certain medications that inhibit androgens and may help to reduce testosterone levels. Certain medications can also affect insulin levels and may help stabilize testosterone levels as well.

How Food Can Help to Lower Testosterone Levels

While more research is needed into how foods can help to lower testosterone levels, a connection exists between certain nutrient intake and hormone levels. You can incorporate certain foods in your diet if you are trying to naturally lower testosterone levels. These include:

• Mint: Eating more spearmint or peppermint may help reduce testosterone. The good news about eating more mint is that there is no downside. If you want to eat more mint, try making smoothies with mint or including it in sauces or teas.

• Licorice: Eating more licorice may help to reduce testosterone levels in women. Licorice may help block certain hormone pathways that produce testosterone, leading to lower circulating levels. If you want to eat more licorice, try making a snack mix with some licorice, dried fruit, and nuts.

• Flaxseed: Flaxseeds are a great source of a compound known as lignans. Lignans have been shown to help reduce testosterone in some women. If you want to eat more flaxseeds, try mixing ground flaxseed into your oatmeal or mixing ground flaxseed into muffin or pancake batter.

• Nuts: Eating certain nuts may help to lower testosterone levels in women due to the ability of nuts to bind to sex hormone binding globulin, which can help bring down testosterone levels. Walnuts and almonds have been shown to be effective at this. If you want to eat more nuts, try snacking on trail mix, eating almond butter on toast, or sprinkling walnuts on yogurt.

While food may not drastically affect testosterone levels, incorporating some of the foods above likely has no downside and may help naturally lower testosterone levels for some women. If you want more personalized guidance, consulting a qualified healthcare provider is advised.

Can Supplements Help to Reduce Testosterone Levels?

Some supplements may help reduce testosterone for some women. As always, you should take any new supplement under the guidance and supervision of a qualified healthcare provider. Some supplements that have shown promise include:

• Zinc: For some women with PCOS, zinc supplementation has been shown to help reduce testosterone levels, due to its role in the synthesis of insulin.

• Vitamin D: For some women with PCOS, vitamin D supplementation has also been shown to be helpful at reducing testosterone levels.

• Omega-3: Supplementing with omega-3s, for some women, has been shown to help reduce testosterone levels and regulate the menstrual cycle. This has also been shown to be particularly helpful for women with PCOS. Omega-3 fatty acids are shown to help optimize luteinizing hormone levels, leading to lower levels of testosterone.

While supplements may help lower testosterone levels in some women, they may not help all women. This is why obtaining personalized guidance is key.

Signs of High Testosterone In Women

If you are wondering if you may have high testosterone levels, there are common signs to look out for. Some of these include:

• Enlargement of the genitalia

• Acne

• Oily skin

• Excess body hair

Depending on why testosterone is high, symptoms can vary. Symptoms of high cholesterol are also very different between men and women. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is important to get checked with your healthcare provider to ensure that everything is okay.

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Optimizing testosterone levels can feel overwhelming, but it is not something you need to tackle alone. Everlywell offers several testing options that you can take from the comfort of your own home. From there, your results will be analyzed, and you will be given guidance from a qualified healthcare provider on next steps for your well-being. Take the next steps to a more balanced, healthier you today with Everlywell.

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