RESEARCH - Male hormones may help women after hysterectomy

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Male hormones may help women after hysterectomy

Last Updated: 2005-04-29 15:07:49 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who feel less sexy after a hysterectomy

may get a boost from a seemingly unlikely source -- testosterone, new

research reports.

U.S. investigators found that women who reported a loss of their libido

after surgeons removed their uterus and ovaries tended to show improvements

after using a testosterone patch for 24 weeks. For instance, half of 266

patch users said they had one extra satisfying sexual encounter every 2.5

weeks.

In contrast, 266 women who received a placebo, or inactive, patch, had only

one extra satisfying encounter every 5.5 weeks.

Patch users also reported less personal distress, the authors note in the

journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Women who tried the testosterone patch were equally likely to report side

effects as women who used a placebo patch. However, testosterone-takers

reported more side effects related to male hormones, such as acne and voice

deepening.

The study was funded by Proctor & Gamble Pharmaceuticals, which is

developing a female testosterone patch called Intrinsa, designed to spark

women's sexual appetite.

Previous research has shown that women's sexual health is influenced by

testosterone, and a loss of testosterone increases the risk of a loss of

libido.

The ovaries produce a significant amount of testosterone, lead author Dr.

E. Buster of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, and his colleagues

note. Consequently, studies show that after women's ovaries are removed, up

to 50 percent report a decrease in libido.

As part of the current study, the women, who had reduced sexual desire after

hysterectomy and removal of the ovaries were randomly assigned to use a

testosterone or placebo patch twice per week for 24 weeks. Women also kept a

sexual activity log, in which they recorded the quality and quantity of

sexual encounters.

In addition to more satisfying sexual encounters, women who received

testosterone showed more improvements in desire, arousal, pleasure, orgasms,

responsiveness, and self-image than those who received placebo.

In an accompanying editorial, Dr. S. Guzick points out that not all

studies have shown that lower testosterone levels have a negative effect on

libido. He also questions if an increase in satisfying sexual experience of

1.5 episodes over 4 weeks is " clinically significant. "

" I would argue for approaching the testosterone patch like any other

medication that has potential benefits and risks for a given patient,

assessing the risk/benefit ratio in each case, " he writes.

SOURCE: Obstetrics & Gynecology, May 2005.

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