The short answer. There isn't much data on Testosterone Gel yet — 4 mentions, 4 with a clear outcome — so treat these numbers as anecdotal. It is well studied — 6 meta-analyses on PubMed.
From 4 mentions in total — the rest didn't say how it went and aren't counted.
Of the people who reported each effect, the share who said it got better.
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses from PubMed, with their published conclusions.
3+ meta-analyses or systematic reviews and 10+ randomized controlled trials in humans. The grade measures how much human research exists — read the conclusions below for what it found.
Conclusion: Testosterone may be used as a monotherapy in dysthymia and minor depression or as an augmentation therapy in major depression in middle-aged hypogonadal men.
PubMed 24501728 ↗Conclusion: Reported effects of health care interventions on frail elderly persons' quality of life are inconsistent, with most of the studies reporting no differences between the intervention and control groups. As the number of frail elderly persons in the population will continue to grow, it will be important to continue the search for effective health care interventions. Alignment of studies in design and outcome measurements is needed.
PubMed 31040654 ↗Conclusion: TTh achieved a significant improvement in the IIEF-EFD score of hypogonadal men compared with placebo, especially in those who received testosterone gel, were treated for over 30 weeks, and had no comorbidities.
PubMed 34856556 ↗Conclusion: No significant differences were observed in oestradiol concentration, the numbers of follicles ≥17 mm, metaphase II oocytes, two-pronuclear oocytes and embryos transferred, and the proportion of patients with embryo transfer. The current study suggests that the probability of pregnancy is increased in poor responders pretreated with transdermal testosterone who are undergoing ovarian stimulation for IVF.
PubMed 36369150 ↗How often each side effect came up across all reports.
First-hand experiences, quoted verbatim. We show one positive and one negative where both exist.
“With testosterone gel my sleep got up to 6 hours - one night was 8 after I doubled my dose”
“I got my doc to put me on 2% tostran gel, sheading slowed but not completely.”
“She has me using a SMALL amount of testosterone gel, all month long.”
User data from public discussions; research from PubMed. Information only, not medical advice — talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. Data updated October 3, 2026. How we rate