The debate continues as to whether or not women should be prescribed testosterone.
On one side, the Endocrine Society recently published a guideline recommending that healthy menopausal women not be prescribed testosterone, nor should they be diagnosed with testosterone deficiency, reported HealthDay News.
The Society claimed that there is no evidence supporting the use of testosterone or the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) by women who have low levels of these hormones, according to Medscape.com.
Testosterone is usually found naturally in women. It’s in androgens which are sex hormones that include testosterone.
DHEA is produced in the adrenal glands which are also converted into testosterone or a form of estrogen.
"Although limited research suggests testosterone therapy in menopausal women may be linked to improved sexual function, there are too many unanswered questions to justify prescribing testosterone therapy to otherwise healthy women," said Dr. Margaret Wierman of the University of Colorado, in a Society news release that was reported by HealthDay News. Wierman is the Endocrine Society’s guideline chair.
The Endocrine Society guideline specifically detailed that testosterone therapy should not be recommended to treat infertility or cognitive, cardiovascular, metabolic, or sexual dysfunction. And it is also not recommended to treat bone health or general well-being in women.
The guideline pointed out the possible risks that are linked with women using testosterone therapy:
- Changes in cholesterol
- Acne
- Excessive hair growth on the face, back and chest
Furthermore, the risks associated with long-term breast and cardiovascular problems are unknown.
The guideline did say that there is one time when doctors should consider prescribing testosterone therapy to women. That’s when women are diagnosed with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD).
HSDD is defined as when a woman has no interest in sex and is distressed by that lack of interest, wrote HealthDay News.
The guideline recommended that more research be conducted to analyze testosterone therapy in postmenopausal women and its long-term safety.
On the other side of the debate are studies that say testosterone does aid when it comes to female sexual function. A recent decade-long study suggested that testosterone does positively influence sexual function in menopausal women.
Interestingly though, that study concluded that relationships and emotional health can play an even stronger role when it comes to female sexual function.
Lead author of this study, John F. Randolph, Jr., M.D., professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Michigan Medical School, said in a press release, “While levels of testosterone and other reproductive hormones were linked to women’s feelings of sexual desire, our large-scale study suggests psychosocial factors influence many aspects of sexual function.”
According to the press release, those researchers found that women who had naturally higher levels of testosterone and DHEA reported more frequent sexual desire than women with low levels of these hormones.
However, the stronger predictor of better sexual function was actually relationship satisfaction. The associations with the hormones were modest compared to that.
Sources:
Preidt, Robert. "No Testosterone Therapy for Healthy Women, New Guidelines State." Consumer HealthDay. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.
http://consumer.healthday.com/men-s-health-information-24/male-hormones-health-news-389/no-testosterone-therapy-for-older-women-new-guidelines-state-692347.html
Caba, Justin. "Why Healthy Women Should Be Refusing Testosterone Therapy." Medical Daily. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.
http://www.medicaldaily.com/testosterone-therapy-should-not-be-prescribed-otherwise-healthy-women-306202
Busko, Marlene. "Practice Guideline Nixes Testosterone Therapy for Women." Medscape Medical News. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/832898
"Testosterone May Play Modest Role in Menopausal Women's Sex Drive." University of Michigan. Web. 27 Nov. 2014.
http://www.uofmhealth.org/news/archive/201411/testosterone-may-play-modest-role-menopausal-women’s-sex
Reviewed November 27, 2014
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith