How to Lower Testosterone in Women? (4 Sure-Fire Ways)

Certain pre-existing medical conditions or steroid abuse can cause high testosterone in women.

Genetic conditions like PCOS and congenital adrenal hyperplasia can lead to elevated testosterone in women.

Let’s explore some genetic conditions that cause high testosterone in women.

1. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

One of the most common causes of high testosterone in women is polycystic ovary syndrome. This hormonal condition affects one in 10 women. Symptoms include male pattern hair growth and infrequent periods [14].

While not fatal, it can lead to certain complications like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and infertility [15].

Related: Does Testosterone Increase During Period?

2. High Blood Sugar Levels

As discussed above, unregulated blood sugar leads to many kinds of hormonal balances. It's especially more harmful to women with PCOS.

“Blood sugar dysregulation is at the crux of many hormone imbalances, with elevated testosterone being no exception.”

- Dr. Jolene Brighten, Functional Medicine Naturopathic Physician

3. Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH)

This condition directly affects a woman’s adrenal glands. The adrenal gland is where your body produces its hormones.

CAH causes your glands to overproduce testosterone, leading to behavioral and physical masculine traits [16].

What testosterone does in women, especially when it's elevated, comes with a host of negative symptoms [17].

Below is a list of some of the most common ones:

Women can lower their testosterone levels by making lifestyle changes, eating foods that decrease testosterone production, and, in extreme cases, taking medication.

Let’s dive deeper into specific ways women can lower testosterone naturally.

1. Eating Foods That Affect Testosterone

Here is a list of foods that have been clinically tested to lower testosterone in women:

• Spearmint: A study found that women who drank spearmint tea every day for a month experienced a significant decline in testosterone levels [1].
• Licorice root: A research study reported that women who ate 3.5 grams of licorice a day experienced 32% lower testosterone after one menstrual cycle [2].
• Nuts: A small study of 31 women found that walnuts and almonds increased levels of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), which leads to lower testosterone levels [3] [4].
• Cinnamon: Cinnamon was found to lower T-levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS (a disorder we’ll cover later) [5].
• Flaxseed: Consuming flaxseed every day might lower serum and free testosterone levels in women [6].
• Green tea: Like nuts, green tea also increases levels of SHBG in women and can treat high testosterone symptoms [7].
• Marjoram tea: In a randomized controlled trial, women received marjoram for a month. Their overall testosterone levels decreased towards the end of the supplementation [8].
• Fish oil: Certain kinds of fish oil are known to regulate and lower T-levels in women [9].

While there are many foods that lower T-levels in men, we picked ones that were clinically proven to lower testosterone in women.

Avoiding foods that lead to high testosterone is just as important as eating ones that lower testosterone.

While there isn’t a definitive list of foods that have been clinically proven to increase testosterone in women, our advice would be to generally keep away from foods known to boost testosterone in general.

These would include foods like ginger, oysters, pomegranates, fortified plant milk, green leafy vegetables, onions, and extra virgin olive oil [10].