title: Androgen deficiency in women.
abstract: The evidence suggest that androgen deficiency in women induces sexual dysfunction as its main clinical manifestation, in particular reduced libido. However, other factors may be involved in the genesis of this disease, such as interpersonal relationships, social stressors, physical inactivity and the partner. The prevalence of sexual problems among women ranges from 9 to 43% and, recently, many studies have reported that androgens are beneficial not only for women's sexual function, but also for mood disorders and vasomotor symptoms. This is why physicians should include androgen deficiency syndrome in their differential diagnosis, even in women with adequate estrogen levels. Our objective was to present the practical aspects of this disease, emphasizing diagnosis and focusing on treatment. This review searched PUBMED for publications from the last 51 years, up to May 2010, including consensus statements and expert opinions and identified 105 articles. We concluded that the androgen deficiency syndrome in women is overlooked in clinical practice. There is no consensus in the literature regarding diagnosis or treatment, including choice of drug, route of administration and time of application.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Ciências Médica da Santa Casa de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Helena Proni
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Fonseca
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scapinelli
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.forename: José Mendes
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Aldrighi
mesh_terms: D000728:Androgens / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000378:metabolism; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D020249:Hormone Replacement Therapy; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause / Q000187:drug effects; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000728:Androgens; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate