A review of testosterone trials found no clear memory gain in postmenopausal women, and called the evidence too small to settle

What the research found

Medical Xpress posted this on 30 October 2026. Aimee Spector, Alexandra Faulkner, and colleagues at University College London review testosterone and cognition in Reproduction and Fertility (DOI 10.1530/RAF-26-0080). They found five studies in postmenopausal women aged 41 to 65. Perimenopause was not included. A meta-analysis of three randomized trials covered 244 women. Doses were given daily, weekly, or monthly for 4 to 26 weeks. There was no statistically significant improvement in the cognitive scores they pooled, including executive function, verbal learning and memory, and visuospatial performance. Faulkner described this as a lack of sufficient evidence, not as evidence that testosterone has no effect. The British Menopause Society and the International Menopause Society support testosterone for low libido only, not for cognition. The review notes that prescribing has anecdotally risen in the UK National Health Service and in private clinics. Trial data came from Australia, Canada, the United States, and Sweden. Hormone use is clinician-only. This is not a recommendation to start, stop, or change a hormone. Not medical advice.

Evidence level: Review of studies. This is among the stronger kinds of evidence, but one study rarely settles a question.

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