Report looks at testosterone, female libido
Testosterone levels in women not a good indicator of sexual function, study finds.
By Brad Wible
Los Angeles Times
Tests of male hormone levels in women's blood cannot predict diminished
sexual function and should not be used in deciding on a course of
treatment, Australian researchers have reported.
The report in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association
questions the assumption among sex researchers that low sexual desire in
women has roots in low levels of testosterone or certain related
hormones.
This belief has contributed to growing use of testosterone supplements,
including a patch worn on the skin, and the frequent use of tests to
determine hormone levels.
The study involving 1,000 women, ranging from 18 to 75 years old, found
that the majority of women with low hormone levels did not have low
levels of sexual function.
"If a woman with low libido walks into her doctor's office and asks for
a blood test to see if she can use that new testosterone patch, well,
there's no basis for that," said lead author Dr. Susan Davis of Monash
Medical School in Victoria, Australia. "They're totally uninformative."
Dr. Richard J. Paulson, chief of reproductive endocrinology at the
University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine, who was not
involved in the study, added: "You cannot oversimplify the problem to
simple hormone measurements."
Paulson said the current study, coupled with findings from other
research, suggests that the key is not a woman's level of testosterone
but rather how much those levels may have changed over time.
The use of a testosterone patch to increase hormone levels may still be
beneficial, he said, but the study did not address that issue.
Studies have estimated that more than 40 percent of women experience
sexual dysfunction, with the primary effect being low libido. The
prevalence of female sexual dysfunction appears to increase with age,
beginning in the 30s. Menopause and some surgical procedures, such as
removal of the ovaries, also can reduce sexual function.
Some studies have shown that women experience improved sexual function
and psychological well-being after receiving testosterone therapies.
Procter & Gamble is developing the testosterone patch Invisira to
increase female libido.
