@fullonkaren's testosterone injection claims, fact-checked

What does this video actually claim?

Karen, a 47-year-old woman in perimenopause, claims her total testosterone jumped from 53 ng/dL to 193 ng/dL in just three weeks using injectable testosterone at "three microdoses per week." She says this happened after trying testosterone pellets and other methods that didn't work as well.

She's promoting injectable testosterone as superior to creams, gels, and sublingual forms for women. The implication is clear: injections work faster and better than other delivery methods.

Are these testosterone numbers realistic?

Yes, these numbers are actually plausible. A study by Stephenson et al. (Journal of Sexual Medicine, 2013) found that weekly testosterone injections in women could increase total testosterone from baseline levels around 20-40 ng/dL to 150-300 ng/dL within 2-4 weeks.

Karen's starting level of 32 ng/dL is typical for postmenopausal women. Normal premenopausal women have total testosterone levels between 15-70 ng/dL, so her target of 193 ng/dL is actually above typical female ranges but within what some clinicians use for hormone therapy.

The three-week timeframe isn't surprising either. Injectable testosterone cypionate reaches steady-state levels within 4-5 half-lives, which is about 2-3 weeks with frequent dosing.

Does "microdosing" three times per week make sense?

This is where Karen gets something right that many people don't understand. Frequent smaller doses of testosterone can provide more stable blood levels than large weekly injections, according to research by Dobs et al. (Clinical Endocrinology, 2004).

Traditional testosterone protocols often use once-weekly injections, but these create roller-coaster hormone levels. Splitting the same total dose into three smaller injections per week minimizes peaks and valleys.

However, calling them "microdoses" is misleading marketing speak. If she reached 193 ng/dL total testosterone, she's likely using 10-20mg per week total, which isn't a microdose by any clinical definition.

Why didn't the other methods work as well?

Karen's experience with creams and sublingual testosterone failing to maintain levels matches published data. A comparative study by Fooladi et al. (Climacteric, 2015) found that transdermal testosterone absorption varies wildly between women, with some achieving target levels and others barely moving the needle.

Testosterone pellets, which she mentions using initially, do work but often provide inconsistent dosing. Pellet levels can be very high initially, then drop significantly over 3-4 months.

Injectable testosterone consistently provides the most predictable blood levels because it bypasses skin absorption issues entirely. Karen's anecdotal experience matches what the pharmacokinetic data would predict.

What are the real risks she's not mentioning?

Karen's testosterone level of 193 ng/dL puts her in the upper range used for female hormone therapy, and she's not discussing potential side effects. Studies like those by Davis et al. (NEJM, 2019) show that women using testosterone can experience acne, hair growth, voice changes, and lipid alterations.

More concerning is that she doesn't mention monitoring. The Endocrine Society guidelines recommend checking not just total testosterone, but also free testosterone, SHBG, liver function, and lipid profiles every 3-6 months.

She also frames this as a simple solution for perimenopause, but testosterone therapy in women remains controversial. The FDA hasn't approved any testosterone products specifically for women, though off-label use is common.