Women pose as men to buy testosterone online after prescription difficulties
One menopause specialist says she has seen women with up to 12 times the safe level of the hormone.
By BBC News
Women in Wales are posing as men to buy testosterone from online pharmacies after problems getting NHS prescriptions, according to a BBC report.
Menopause specialist Dr Michelle Olver said she had seen women with testosterone levels up to 12 times the safe level, raising the risk of permanent side effects. The report said access to testosterone varies between health boards in Wales, and that some women have turned to online sources after being unable to get prescriptions continued.
BBC Wales also spoke to one woman who was initially prescribed testosterone by her NHS GP, but later found her new GP surgery would not continue it after she moved to another health board area. She then paid privately before buying the hormone online by pretending to be a man, because it was much cheaper.
Dr Olver said the situation was “incredibly sad”, because women were being denied access to something they needed, but she said proper counselling and monitoring were still necessary. The report said Wales’s seven health boards use different prescribing systems, with some cases requiring specialist approval or shared-care arrangements.