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 .
Clinically relevant changes in sexual desire, satisfying sexual activity and personal distress as measured by the profile of female sexual function, sexual activity log, and personal distress scale in postmenopausal women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder.
INTRODUCTION Transdermal testosterone patch ( TTP ) treatment produced statistically significant improvements in a satisfying sexual activity ( SSA ) , sexual desire , and personal distress in postmenopausal women suffering from hypoactive sexual desire disorder ( HSDD ) , but clinical significance of these changes was not determined . AIM To quantify the magnitude of change in three principal outcomes measures determined by HSDD patients as associated with the perception of meaningful benefit with TTP therapy . METHODS The criteria for defining responders were determined using anchoring methodology and receiver operating characteristics analysis to establish minimum important differences ( MIDs ) in a representative sub sample of 132 patients in two r and omized , controlled trials in surgically menopausal women with HSDD ( N = 1,094 ) . Perceived benefit was established based upon the question " Overall , would you say that you experienced a meaningful benefit from the study patches ? " . These data defined responders and established MIDs for changes in sexual desire , SSA , and personal distress . The MIDs were applied to the two trials to establish responder rates in each treatment group . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Changes in score that correspond to the MID for sexual desire , SSA , and personal distress , and responder rates in each treatment group based upon these values . RESULTS Increases in frequency of SSA of greater than 1 activity/4 weeks , increases in sexual desire score of > or = 8.9 , and decreases in the personal distress score of > or = 20.0 were identified as threshold improvements best able to differentiate responders and nonresponders . The responder rate was significantly higher ( P < 0.001 ) in the testosterone group vs. placebo for all three outcomes measures ( sexual desire , 50 % vs. 34 % ; SSA , 44 % vs. 30 % ; personal distress , 51 % vs. 39 % ) . CONCLUSIONS Changes in sexual desire , SSA , and personal distress observed with TTP treatment in surgically menopausal women with HSDD were clinical ly significant and were associated with a meaningful treatment benefit
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 .