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 physiologic testosterone therapy on quality of life, self-esteem, and mood in women with primary ovarian insufficiency
Objective Women with primary ovarian insufficiency ( POI ) display low and rogen levels , which could contribute to mood and behavioral symptoms observed in this condition . We examined the effects of physiologic testosterone therapy added to st and ard estrogen/progestin therapy on quality of life , self-esteem , and mood in women with POI . Methods One hundred twenty-eight women with 46,XX spontaneous POI participated in a 12-month r and omized , placebo-controlled , parallel- design investigation of the efficacy of testosterone augmentation of estrogen/progestin therapy .  Quality of life , self-esteem , and mood symptoms were evaluated with st and ardized rating scales and a structured clinical interview . Differences in outcome measures between the testosterone and placebo treatments were analyzed by Wilcoxon rank sum tests . Results No differences in baseline characteristics , including serum hormone levels ( P > 0.05 ) , were found . Baseline mean ( SD ) Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale scores were 10.7 ( 8.6 ) and 9.2 ( 7.8 ) for testosterone and placebo , respectively ( P = 0.35 ) . After 12 months of treatment , measures of quality of life , self-esteem , and mood symptoms did not differ between treatment groups . Serum testosterone levels achieved physiologic levels in the testosterone group and were significantly higher compared with placebo ( P < 0.001 ) . Baseline testosterone levels were not associated with either adverse or beneficial clinical effects . Conclusions A 150-&mgr;g testosterone patch achieves physiologic hormone levels in women with POI . Our findings suggest that augmentation of st and ard estrogen/progestin therapy with physiologic testosterone therapy in young women with POI neither aggravates nor improves baseline reports of quality of life or self-esteem and had minimal effects on mood . Other mechanisms might play a role in the altered mood accompanying this disorder
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 .