Some studies suggest that testosterone therapy has additional effects , which include increased bone mineral density and decreased serum high-density lipoprotein ( HDL ) cholesterol .
The clinical sequelae of oestrogen deficiency during menopause are undoubted .
However , the pathophysiological role of testosterone during the menopause is less clear .
Several r and omized , placebo-controlled clinical trials suggest that testosterone therapy improves sexual function in postmenopausal women .
Effects of testosterone and estrogen replacement on memory function
Objective : Testosterone insufficiency has been associated with psychosexual problems , reduced psychological well-being , and negative metabolic consequences , whereas less is known about the effects on cognition . The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of adding testosterone to estrogen therapy on memory functions in oophorectomized women . Methods : In a r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled design , women with surgically induced menopause ( n = 50 ; mean [ SD ] age , 54.0 [ 2.9 ] y ) received estradiol valerate in combination with testosterone undecanoate or placebo . The women were assessed with a self-report question naire regarding memory and neuropsychological tests for verbal and spatial episodic memory and incidental learning at baseline , at the time of crossover , and after completion of treatment . Results : Testosterone undecanoate 40 mg added to estrogen therapy had a negative effect on immediate but not delayed verbal memory at 24 weeks . Subjective and objective memory showed some correspondence as the women in the estrogen + placebo treatment group rated decreased everyday memory problems at 24 weeks compared with baseline . This was not observed in the women in the estrogen + testosterone treatment . Verbal attention span deteriorated from baseline with estrogen + placebo treatment but not with the estrogen + testosterone treatment . However , there was no significant treatment effect between the two groups . Conclusions : Adding testosterone to estrogen treatment deteriorated immediate verbal memory compared with estrogen + placebo , while other memory functions were unaffected
Some studies suggest that testosterone therapy has additional effects , which include increased bone mineral density and decreased serum high-density lipoprotein ( HDL ) cholesterol .
The clinical sequelae of oestrogen deficiency during menopause are undoubted .
However , the pathophysiological role of testosterone during the menopause is less clear .
Several r and omized , placebo-controlled clinical trials suggest that testosterone therapy improves sexual function in postmenopausal women .