|
 Researchers reviewed data from 36 trials with 8,480 participants,
most of whom had already gone through menopause. The trials randomly
assigned some women to use testosterone treatment and others to take
a placebo or an alternative hormone treatment like estrogen alone or
in combination with progesterone.
Women who used testosterone experienced significantly increased
sexual function and had satisfying sex more often than their
counterparts who didn't get this therapy, the study found.
Testosterone caused spikes in desire, arousal, orgasm, and
responsiveness as well as a decrease in distress related to sexual
function.
"Testosterone acts directly in the brain and influences sexual
functioning at a central level (sexual desire, fantasy, thoughts,
etc.) and it also increases blood flow to the genitalia so women are
more likely to feel sensation of arousal and orgasm," said Susan
Davis, senior author of the study and a researcher at Monash
University in Australia.
Although best known as a male hormone, testosterone is important for
female sexual health, contributing to libido and orgasm as well as
helping to maintain normal metabolic function, muscle strength,
cognitive function and mood, researchers note in the Lancet Diabetes
& Endocrinology.
Testosterone levels decline naturally over a woman's lifespan and
can also drop sharply following surgically-induced menopause. Prior
research has suggested that testosterone therapy can improve sexual
function in women, but the available formulations have been designed
for men and evidence for their safety or for adverse side-effects in
women is scant.
In the current study, side effects with creams and patches that
apply testosterone through the skin included slight weight gain,
mild acne, and increased hair growth. Oral testosterone appeared to
increase low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the "bad" kind
that builds up in blood vessels and can lead to blood clots and
heart attacks.
[to top of second column] |
The study also looked at some other common reasons why women take
testosterone and found no beneficial effects on cognitive measures,
bone mineral density, body composition or muscle strength. No
benefits were seen for depressive mood irrespective of menopausal
status or in psychological wellbeing.
"This is the first study to refute the use of testosterone for
anything other than low libido unless future studies show evidence
of benefit," Davis said by email. "Unfortunately there are a lot of
women in the USA and Australia being treated with testosterone for
fatigue, depression and other invalid reasons."
There are no testosterone treatments approved specifically for use
in postmenopausal women, Davis said. As a result, women use
formulations made for men or use compounded, or custom-blended
medicines, that may be unsafe or ineffective.
Still, results from the study should reassure women that they may
benefit from using testosterone to treat sexual dysfunction after
menopause, said Rossella Nappi of the University of Pavia in Italy.
"Testosterone is not an easy fix for sexual dysfunction but it
should be considered ...for low sex drive, arousal, etc.," Nappi,
author of an editorial accompanying the study, said by email.
Treatments with the hormone estrogen may also help women improve
genital arousal and lubrication as well as vaginal dryness and pain
during intercourse, Nappi said.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2Ov8l1j and http://bit.ly/2OveTNh Lancet
Diabetes & Endocrinology, online July 25, 2019.
[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
