Skin patch helps women with low testosterone

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A skin patch containing
testosterone can help women with low levels of this male
hormone, or “androgen,” according to a report in The Journal of
Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Although many people think of testosterone as a hormone
exclusive to men, women need it too or else abnormalities in
bone structure and body composition can occur.

Testosterone replacement has been shown to improve bone
thickness, muscle mass, mood, and libido in androgen-deficient
men, the authors explain, but little is known about the effects
of testosterone replacement in androgen-deficient women.

Dr. K. K. Miller and colleagues, from Massachusetts General
Hospital in Boston, investigated the effects of 12 months of
testosterone replacement in 51 women of reproductive age with
androgen deficiency due to disturbances in the pituitary gland,
a tiny gland found in the brain. The participants were randomly
assigned to receive either two testosterone patches or two fake
“placebo” patches, changed twice weekly.

Testosterone levels increased into the normal range in
women treated with testosterone, the authors report, whereas
other hormone levels did not change.

Bone thickness at the hip and forearm increased
significantly, the results indicate, although there was no
change in spine bone thickness in women treated with
testosterone compared with placebo.

Muscle area increased significantly in women treated with
testosterone, the researchers note, but there was no change in
fat area.

Women treated with testosterone experienced improvements in
mood and sexual function and in quality-of-life, the
investigators say. Testosterone treatment was associated with
an increased incidence of acne, but there were no other
differences in side effects between the testosterone and
placebo groups.

While the results are encouraging, “further studies will be
needed to determine long-term efficacy and safety of such a
replacement strategy,” the authors note.

SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism,
May 2006.