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 .
Testosterone addition to estrogen therapy – Effects on inflammatory markers for cardiovascular disease
Objective . To analyze the effects of testosterone addition to estrogen therapy in comparison with estrogen alone on cardiovascular risk factors in postmenopausal women . Methods . Fifty surgically postmenopausal women were included in this double-blind , placebo-controlled and r and omized study to receive daily oral treatment with estradiol valerate 2 mg + placebo ( E/P ) or estradiol valerate 2 mg + testosterone undecanoate 40 mg ( E/T ) for 24 weeks and then switched to the other regimen for another 24 weeks . Sex hormones , High sensitivity CRP ( hsCRP ) , Interleukin-6 ( IL-6 ) , Tissue necrosis factor (TNF)-α , Insulin-like growth factor binding globulin ( IGFBP-1 ) , vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)- 1 , and homocysteine were analyzed at baseline and after 6 and 12 months . Results . Estradiol and and rogens increased as expected during the treatments . After 6 months of E/P , increases of hsCRP and IGFBP-1 and a decline of VCAM were recorded , whereas IL-6 , TNF-α , and homocysteine were unchanged . When testosterone was added to estrogen , the increase of IGFBP-1 and decline in VCAM was similar as with estrogen treatment alone . However , testosterone addition counteracted the estrogen-induced rise in hsCRP but had no effects on IL-6 , TNF-α , and homocysteine . Conclusion . Data suggest that testosterone addition to estrogen treatment in postmenopausal women has a modest influence on inflammatory markers and there were no apparent adverse effects . On the contrary , the estrogen-induced increase in hsCRP was suppressed
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 .