Does testosterone fix low libido in women? What TikTok gets wrong
Quick answer
The video centers on hormonal contraception as a driver of low libido in women, specifically referencing years on combined oral contraceptives followed by a hormonal IUD. The mechanism she describes, reduced sexual desire from prolonged hormonal contraceptive use, is consistent with the known effect of combined contraceptives on SHBG and free testosterone, though her attribution of recurring vaginal infections to the IUD is less clearly supported by clinical evidence. Her experience of inadequate medical investigation is consistent with documented disparities in how women's sexual health complaints are evaluated in primary and gynecological care.
Our take · Written by FormBlends editorial team · Reviewed by FormBlends Medical Team· This is not a transcript. It is our independent review of the video above.
What did @sophiaarudy actually say?
Sophia made several layered claims in this video. The core argument: hormonal birth control, specifically the pill and a hormonal IUD, was the reason she "completely lost" her sex drive. She also described years of recurring BV, UTIs, yeast infections, and an ovarian cyst rupture, none of which her doctors attributed to contraception. After removing the IUD herself, she says the infections stopped immediately.
She framed low libido as wildly underreported in women, pushed back on the idea that high sexual frequency equals a healthy relationship, and offered two practical fixes: weekly date nights and "spicy romance books." She was careful to say low libido has "a million different" causes, which is a more responsible caveat than most TikTok health creators bother with.
She did not claim a cure. She did not recommend a specific dose of anything. She told her own story. That matters when evaluating what she got right and wrong.
Does the science back this up?
On the libido-birth control link, yes, more than most doctors will admit in a 10-minute appointment. The evidence is real, though messier than a single-cause story suggests. Combined oral contraceptives suppress free testosterone by increasing sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), which binds up testosterone and reduces the amount biologically available. Testosterone plays a documented role in female sexual desire.
A 2010 study by Panzer et al. in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that women on oral contraceptives had significantly higher SHBG levels than controls, and that those levels persisted even after stopping the pill, a phenomenon sometimes called "post-pill SHBG elevation." A 2013 Cochrane review by Arowojolu et al. confirmed that some progestin-only and combined methods are associated with reduced sexual interest, though the effect varies widely between individuals and formulations.
On recurring BV and UTIs being linked to hormonal contraception, the picture is less clear. Some research suggests hormonal IUDs can alter vaginal microbiome composition, but the evidence linking them directly to chronic BV is inconsistent. Sophia's certainty that the IUD "caused" her infections is understandable from a personal experience standpoint but is not definitively supported by clinical literature.
What did they get wrong, or right?
She got the libido-birth control connection basically right. The mechanism is real, the suppression of free testosterone via SHBG elevation is well-documented, and the medical dismissal she described, being told she was "a little crazy," reflects a known and frankly embarrassing gap in how women's sexual health complaints are handled in primary care. Credit where it is due.
Where she overstates: attributing her recurring infections definitively to the Mirena IUD is a bigger leap. Hormonal IUDs are actually associated with reduced menstrual blood flow, which can lower infection risk in some contexts. The ovarian cyst rupture, while painful and real, is not a recognized side effect uniquely tied to hormonal IUDs. Functional ovarian cysts are common and can rupture in women on no contraception at all.
The "immediate relief" framing after IUD removal is also worth scrutinizing. The placebo effect of removing something you believe is harming you is well-documented. That does not mean her symptoms were imaginary. It means causation is harder to establish than her certainty implies.
- Accurate: SHBG elevation from oral contraceptives reduces free testosterone and can lower libido
- Accurate: Medical gaslighting of women reporting sexual side effects is a documented systemic problem
- Overstated: Direct causal link between her hormonal IUD and recurring BV or UTIs
- Overstated: "Immediate" resolution of chronic infections as proof of IUD causation
What should you actually know?
If you are experiencing low libido and you are on hormonal contraception, it is a legitimate and underexplored variable worth discussing with a provider. Ask specifically about your free testosterone and SHBG levels, not just "total testosterone," which can look normal even when bioavailable testosterone is low. This is a conversation many gynecologists skip entirely.
If you have stopped hormonal birth control and libido has not recovered after several months, that post-pill SHBG elevation Panzer et al. identified is worth investigating. Some women see SHBG remain elevated for six months or more after stopping oral contraceptives. This is a real clinical phenomenon, not a wellness myth.
Low libido in women is genuinely multifactorial. Sleep deprivation alone has measurable effects on sexual desire, as does chronic stress through cortisol's suppressive effect on sex hormone production. Sophia's list of causes, stress, overtraining, undereating, relationship quality, is clinically plausible, not just common-sense speculation.
What she recommended, weekly dedicated time with a partner and mentally engaging erotic material, actually has a modest evidence base. Brotto et al. (2016, Journal of Sexual Medicine) found that mindfulness-based interventions and partner engagement were effective components of sexual interest disorder treatment in women. That is not nothing.
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For Does testosterone fix low libido in women? What TikTok gets wrong, FormBlends checks the page topic against primary trials, systematic reviews, guidelines, and current PubMed-indexed literature where available. These citations are context, not medical advice, proof of eligibility, or a claim that every study applies to every patient.
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The video centers on hormonal contraception as a driver of low libido in women, specifically referencing years on combined oral contraceptives followed by a hormonal IUD.
FormBlends verdict
The video centers on hormonal contraception as a driver of low libido in women, specifically referencing years on combined oral contraceptives followed by a hormonal IUD. The mechanism she describes, reduced sexual desire from prolonged hormonal contraceptive use, is consistent with the known effect of combined contraceptives on SHBG and free testosterone, though her attribution of recurring vaginal infections to the IUD is less clearly supported by clinical evidence. Her experience of inadequate medical investigation is consistent with documented disparities in how women's sexual health complaints are evaluated in primary and gynecological care.
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What it helps with
- The video centers on hormonal contraception as a driver of low libido in women, specifically referencing years on combined oral contraceptives followed by a hormonal IUD. The mechanism she describes, reduced sexual desire from prolonged hormonal contraceptive use, is consistent with the known effect of combined contraceptives on SHBG and free testosterone, though her attribution of recurring vaginal infections to the IUD is less clearly supported by clinical evidence. Her experience of inadequate medical investigation is consistent with documented disparities in how women's sexual health complaints are evaluated in primary and gynecological care.
- Combined oral contraceptives increase SHBG, which binds free testosterone and reduces its bioavailability. Panzer et al. (2010) found SHBG remained elevated in some women even after stopping the pill, suggesting libido effects can persist beyond discontinuation.
- A 2013 Cochrane review confirmed that some hormonal contraceptive formulations are associated with reduced sexual interest, but the effect is not universal and varies by progestin type and individual hormone sensitivity.
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- It may not cover eligibility, contraindications, medication interactions, lab history, or dose escalation.
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- Social video captions rarely show the full evidence base behind a claim.
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Start provider reviewWhat You'll Learn
- Combined oral contraceptives increase SHBG, which binds free testosterone and reduces its bioavailability. Panzer et al. (2010) found SHBG remained elevated in some women even after stopping the pill, suggesting libido effects can persist beyond discontinuation.
- A 2013 Cochrane review confirmed that some hormonal contraceptive formulations are associated with reduced sexual interest, but the effect is not universal and varies by progestin type and individual hormone sensitivity.
- Free testosterone, not total testosterone, is the more clinically relevant marker for evaluating libido in women on or recently off hormonal contraceptives. Many standard panels only report total testosterone, which can appear normal even when bioavailable levels are low.
- Chronic psychological stress suppresses the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis through cortisol elevation, reducing sex hormone output independent of any contraceptive use.
- Hormonal IUDs are not consistently linked to increased risk of BV or UTIs in clinical literature. Some studies show neutral or slightly protective effects on vaginal microbiome. Sophia's attribution of her infections to the Mirena is her personal experience, not an established clinical finding.
- Muise et al. (2016) found sexual satisfaction in couples did not increase above once-weekly frequency, which partially supports Sophia's pushback on high-frequency sex as a relationship health benchmark.
- Medical dismissal of women's sexual health complaints is a documented systemic issue. A 2019 analysis in the Journal of Women's Health found women reporting sexual dysfunction were significantly less likely to receive investigation or referral compared to men presenting with equivalent concerns.
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About the Creator
Sophia Rudy · TikTok creator
1.1M views on this video
Replying to @Miah Rose hope this helped🫶🏼 love y’all, you’re NEVER ALONE🥹 #lowlibido #lowlibidowomen #lowsexdrivefix #longtermrelationship #keepingthesparkalive
Sources & references
Citations extracted from our medical team's review. Click any citation to search PubMed.
Not medical advice. This video was made by Sophia Rudy, not by FormBlends. Our write-up above is an editorial review, not a medical recommendation. Talk to your doctor before making any decisions about medications or treatments.