Potential role of androgens in the treatment of hypoactive sexual desire in women.
Evaluation of: van Anders SM, Chernick AB, Chernick BA et al.: Preliminary clinical experience with androgen administration for pre- and postmenopausal women with hypoactive sexual desire. J. Sex Marital Ther. 31, 173-185 (2005). There has been significant debate about the potential role of androgens in the treatment of hypoactive sexual desire in women. In this study, pre- and postmenopausal women with hypoactive sexual desire were age-matched with women without such complaints (n = 33). The treatment group received 100 mg of testosterone cypionate intramuscularly once a month for 3 months. Measures of salivary testosterone indicated no difference between groups at baseline, with an increase in testosterone levels in the hypoactive sexual desire group post-treatment. While significant differences existed between the two groups at baseline in scores on the Sexual Desire Inventory, the treated women demonstrated a significant increase in sexual desire post-treatment, with no difference in Sexual Desire Inventory scores at study end point. This study suggests that supplemental testosterone may improve sexual desire in women with hypoactive sexual desire without hypoandrogenism.
Clayton
Anita H
AH
University of Virginia, 2955 Ivy Road, Northridge Suite 210, Charlottesville, VA, USA. ahc8v@virginia.edu.