Testosterone for peri- and postmenopausal women

Adding testosterone to hormone replacement therapy has a beneficial effect on sexual function in postmenopausal women. It causes a reduction in HDL cholesterol and an increased incidence of facial hair growth and acne as an adverse effect but its role for other outcomes remains unclear.

A Cochrane review included 35 studies with a total of 4 768 subjects. The median study duration was six months (range 1.5 to 24 months). The addition of testosterone to hormone therapy (HT) regimens improved sexual function scores for postmenopausal women (SMD 0.41; 95% CI 0.19 to 0.63, for the composite sexual function score; 3 studies, n=330). Significant adverse effects were decreased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels and an increased incidence of facial hair growth (Peto OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.07 to 2.17; 7 studies, n= 2127) and acne (Peto OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.07 to 2.14; 7 studies, n= 2127). The discontinuation rate was not significantly greater with the addition of testosterone therapy (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.83 to 1.19; 21 studies, n= 3124). There was no convincing evidence for testosterone effects on sense of wellbeing, unexplained fatigue, bone health, body composition, menopausal symptoms, cognition, or hostility. Evidence on long-term effects with respect to breast cancer and coronary heart disease is lacking.

Ədəbiyyat

1. Somboonporn W, Davis S, Seif MW, Bell R. Testosterone for peri- and postmenopausal women. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2005 Oct 19;(4):CD004509 [Review content assessed as up-to-date: 17 April 2007]