Patch increases sexual desire in menopausal women
Key points
- Treatment with a patch containing the hormone testosterone can increase sexual desire and activity in women who experience reduced sexual desire after surgical removal of the ovaries.
- The findings are based on a study of 447 women diagnosed with Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) after ovarian surgery, who were randomly assigned to receive testosterone patches, at one of three doses, or placebo for 24 weeks.
- Compared with placebo, the intermediate-dose testosterone patch significantly improved sexual desire and increased the frequency of satisfying sexual activity, lead author Dr.
- The lower testosterone dose offered no benefits, whereas the higher dose was no better than the intermediate dose.
Treatment with a patch containing the hormone testosterone can increase sexual desire and activity in women who experience reduced sexual desire after surgical removal of the ovaries.
The findings are based on a study of 447 women diagnosed with Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) after ovarian surgery, who were randomly assigned to receive testosterone patches, at one of three doses, or placebo for 24 weeks. A total of 318 women completed the trial.
Compared with placebo, the intermediate-dose testosterone patch significantly improved sexual desire and increased the frequency of satisfying sexual activity, lead author Dr. Glenn D. Braunstein, from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and colleagues report in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
The lower testosterone dose offered no benefits, whereas the higher dose was no better than the intermediate dose.
The testosterone patch was well tolerated at the doses studied and no serious adverse effects were seen, the report indicates.
While the findings suggest a role for testosterone patches in the treatment of HSDD, the author of a related editorial comments that the optimal dose remains to be determined.
Likening the search for the right dose to "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," Dr. Robert A. Vigersky, from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, notes that it is still unclear if the intermediate-dose patch is "just right."
Vigersky adds that the "benefits found by Braunstein and colleagues are modest and not clearly dose related."
SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, July 25, 2005.
Written and revised by
David Cohen, M.D.
Our doctors write and review articles for accuracy and keep them up to date.
health.am provides general information, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified health professional about your own health.
Explore health topics
More in this topic
Women's Health →
NewsGenetic Alteration Predicts Pain Recovery After Sexual Assault
One in five U.S. women are sexually assaulted in their lifetimes and more than half experience severe pain during the week following an attack. A study published in The Journal of Pain showed that presence of a genetic…
11 April 2013
NewsEstrogen may relieve post-menopausal joint pain
Post-menopausal women, who often suffer from joint pain, could find some long-term relief by taking estrogen-only medication, according to a new study based on the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) that was released…
21 March 2013
NewsOral estrogen hormone therapy linked to increased risk of gallbladder surgery in menopausal women
Oral estrogen therapy for menopausal women is associated with an increased risk of gallbladder surgery, according to a large-scale study of more than 70 000 women in France published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical…
