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Transdermal testosterone may improve sexual satisfaction for women
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Transdermal testosterone improved sexual satisfaction for premenopausal women with reduced libido and low serum-free testosterone levels in a study recently published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
In a 16-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, researchers from Australia assigned 261 women aged 35 to 46 years to placebo or three varying doses of testosterone. At week 16, the researchers aimed to determine the mean number of self-reported satisfactory sexual events over 28 days.
Women in all treatment groups reported an increase in satisfactory sexual events, though those assigned to an intermediate dose (one 90-mcL spray) had a greater increase of 0.8 satisfactory sexual events per month (P=.04). There was no difference in frequency of satisfactory sexual events between the placebo and low-dose (56-mcL spray) and high-dose (two 90-mcL spray) groups.
At the end of the intervention period, 95% of women assigned to the intermediate dose had free testosterone levels lower than the upper limit of the reference range, according to the researchers. – by Stacey L. Adams
Ann Intern Med. 2008;148:569-577.