Low Testosterone and Sex Drive: Symptoms, NHS Guidelines, Benefits and Risks of TRT

Back in the ’90s, Alan Reeves was on stage all the time—he was one of “The Dreamboys,” taking his clothes off in front of massive crowds. People loved him so much that he and his fellow dancers even landed a spot in the Spice Girls’ movie, Spice World.

He was just 24 then, pretty full of himself and, honestly, he says he was “attractive.” But his thirties hit, and everything flipped. His mood dropped and his interest in sex just faded.

“I just didn’t feel right,” he says.

Now Reeves is 52, and he admits his low sex drive messed with his long-term relationship.

“We’d go three or four months without sex. I just wasn’t interested. Stuff like that can really pull a couple apart.”

And it’s not just men. More women are turning to testosterone, too. Rachel Mason, who’s 37 and blogs about menopause, says taking the hormone has done “amazing” things for her—she’s got more energy, can focus again, and her sex drive is back.

Testosterone prescriptions are soaring. According to data from the Care Quality Commission and NHS Business Services Authority, they’ve jumped 135% from 2021 to 2024.

All this is happening while, across the UK, people seem less interested in sex. The National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles checks in with around 10,000 people every ten years, and it’s been showing a steady drop in sexual activity. More numbers are coming later this year, but here’s the trend: in the ’90s, people aged 16 to 44 said they had sex about five times a month. That dropped to four times in the 2000s, then three times in the 2010s. The next round of results is due at the end of the year, and researchers expect the decline to keep going. No one’s found one clear reason.

So, does boosting testosterone really bring back your sex drive, or is it just clever marketing?

Losing Interest in Sex

Alan Reeves isn’t alone. More and more people are feeling the same way, and researchers are taking notice.

Suze Clifton, academic director at Natsal, says, “Over the years, we’ve seen a drop across every group. For example, there are fewer couples living together now than in the ’90s, which could explain some of it. But even when we look just at couples who still live together, desire is down.”

The biggest drop shows up in older couples, especially those who are married or living together.

Clifton says figuring out exactly why people want sex less these days is tough.

“We don’t really know why the whole population is having less sex,” she says.

Researchers keep trying to get to the bottom of it. Some point to the digital world—it just eats up everyone’s attention, leaving no room for much else.

Dr. Ben Davis, a sex therapist, adds that stress is a huge factor. It’s spiked over the last 30 years.

“There’s just a lot in people’s lives right now. Sure, there’s technology, but there’s also more stress, more depression, more loneliness. All of that kills desire.”

There’s another theory that’s blowing up online—and it’s turned into big business: the idea that low testosterone is to blame.

Professor Geoffrey Hackett, who’s with the British Society for Sexual Medicine and works as a consultant urologist, says, “Testosterone levels in men are definitely dropping. Obesity, type 2 diabetes, and being less active all lower testosterone. And when testosterone drops, so does desire.”

Big studies over the last twenty years back this up—testosterone in men is going down. But Hackett says it’s not that simple. Low testosterone can affect sex drive, but not everyone with low levels feels less desire.

Even so, ads are everywhere now—on the Tube, at bus stops, all over social media: Low sex drive? Brain fog? Tired all the time? Check your testosterone! Has your man lost his spark? Maybe it’s his hormones!

So, is testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) really a fix for low libido?

Testosterone Turned Things Around for Me

Melissa Green started taking testosterone about a year ago. She says it didn’t just bring back her “spark for life,” it saved her marriage.

At 43, her low sex drive was causing problems in her relationship. She was already on estrogen and progesterone for perimenopause—her doctor prescribed those as part of hormone replacement therapy. But when she asked about testosterone, her doctor said she didn’t need it and wouldn’t even check her levels.

The NHS sticks to guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which says testosterone should only be considered for women who have already tried…