Menopause news

Review of the use of testosterone therapy for women

30 July 2019

A review of the use of testosterone therapy for women has been published in the Lancet. Analysis of 36 randomised trials including 8480 participants concludes that testosterone is effective for postmenopausal women with low sexual desire which is causing distress.

Dr Heather Currie, Founder and MD Menopause Matters, Spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and past chairwoman of the British Menopause Society, said:

"This comprehensive review is one of the largest of its kind into the use of testosterone in post-menopausal women and shows that treatment can significantly improve sexual desire, function and pleasure, and reduce concerns about sex. The findings add to growing evidence that only non-oral testosterone should be prescribed to women, as there are adverse effects with oral testosterone.

More research is needed to assess the effect of testosterone on overall individual wellbeing, and musculoskeletal and cognitive health, as well as the long term safety of testosterone therapy for women. Further research is also needed on the effects of testosterone for women who are pre-menopausal as this review looked at effect of testosterone in post-menopausal women.

To safely prescribe testosterone, treatments must be personalised through the development and licensing of testosterone therapy products for women. Currently, only formulations for men are available which are adjusted for women and prescribed off label."

>>Link to Lancet article


See a Testosterone Article from Menopause Matters Magazine here: >> Magazine Article

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