A review, carried out by researchers in Australia, of recent trials of testosterone therapy in women has found that the male hormone did appear to enhance sexual function in post-menopausal women. But the review also found that testosterone could also bring on unwanted side-effects and that the nature of sexual dysfunction in women was often complex and required a more comprehensive approach. Testosterone is normally thought of as a male sex hormone but women secrete small amounts of it as well. Testosterone has previously been shown to improve sexual function, increase bone mineral density and muscle mass, and affect energy levels and psychological well being. Its effects on female libido are still the subject of some controversy, although it seems likely that products will reach the market soon.
Reviewing all past studies of testosterone therapy, researcher Susan Davis, from Monash University in Melbourne, said that the addition of testosterone to hormone therapy in women after menopause did enhance their sexual function. She raised concerns, however, that it may also reduce HDL cholesterol ("good" cholesterol) levels in women. "If the reduction in HDL had been associated with an increase in triglycerides [fatty acids] or LDL cholesterol it would be of great concern," she said. "However, as an isolated finding the significance is difficult to interpret. Testosterone has not been found to alter other coronary heart disease risk factors."
Davis's metastudy, which reviewed 23 past clinical trials, appears in the The Cochrane Library, a journal that reviews medical research. Most of the studies that Davis reviewed looked at orally administered testosterone that was given in conjunction with hormone replacement therapy over a period of six months.
While Davis's conclusions indicate that testosterone might be a viable option for post-menopausal women to increase sex drive, other experts are more cautious. "It is possible that long-term side effects that have not been observed with six month's use could occur," cautioned Nanette Santoro, of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine's Division of Reproductive Endocrinology. "Long-term use of testosterone in women concerns include voice changes, increased body and facial hair, acne and other undesirable defeminizing side-effects; these have not been reported with short-term use," Santoro added.
But Davis, who has acted as a consultant for companies that are developing testosterone therapies for women, said that unwanted side effects, such as acne and hairiness, could be managed by adjusting testosterone dosage.
She did concede however, that testosterone was not a panacea for sexual dysfunction in women and that a comprehensive approach was needed. "Because of the complex nature of female sexual dysfunction it is often difficult to establish the meaningful steps in treatment. Treatment options for sexual dysfunction include identification of correctable causes, education and counseling and medical therapy," she concluded.
Source: Center for the Advancement of Health
