The pooled estimate from the studies suggested that the addition of testosterone to HT regimens improved sexual function scores for postmenopausal women .
A significant adverse effect was a decrease in high-density lipoprotein ( HDL ) cholesterol levels .
However , there is evidence that adding testosterone to HT has a beneficial effect on sexual function in postmenopausal women .
There was a reduction in HDL cholesterol associated with the addition of testosterone to the HT regimens .
It is , therefore , difficult to estimate the effect of testosterone on sexual function in association with any individual hormone treatment regimen
BACKGROUND : The value of adding testosterone to hormone therapy ( HT ) for the management of peri- and postmenopausal women is controversial and has not been systematic ally review ed .
OBJECTIVES : To determine the benefits and risks of testosterone therapy for peri- and postmenopausal women taking hormone therapy .
Effects of parenteral administration of estrogen and androgen on plasma hormone levels and hot flushes in the surgical menopause.
In a prospect i ve , double-blind , crossover study , it was found that surgically menopausal women who received an estrogen drug alone and those who were given a combined estrogen- and rogen preparation  reported a significantly reduced frequency of hot flushes compared to a placebo group ( p less than 0.01 ) coincident with their higher total plasma estrogen levels ( p less than 0.01 ) . The administration of testosterone alone , however , was ineffective in alleviating hot flushes , even though these patients had plasma estrogen values that were not different from those of women with intact ovaries . It was proposed that , in women with very low levels of endogenous estrogens , changes in sex hormone-binding globulin ( SHBG ) concentrations induced by exogenous testosterone may reduce the amount of non-SHBG-bound estrogens , thereby obviating estrogenic effects on hot flushes
The pooled estimate from the studies suggested that the addition of testosterone to HT regimens improved sexual function scores for postmenopausal women .
A significant adverse effect was a decrease in high-density lipoprotein ( HDL ) cholesterol levels .
However , there is evidence that adding testosterone to HT has a beneficial effect on sexual function in postmenopausal women .
There was a reduction in HDL cholesterol associated with the addition of testosterone to the HT regimens .
It is , therefore , difficult to estimate the effect of testosterone on sexual function in association with any individual hormone treatment regimen
BACKGROUND : The value of adding testosterone to hormone therapy ( HT ) for the management of peri- and postmenopausal women is controversial and has not been systematic ally review ed .
OBJECTIVES : To determine the benefits and risks of testosterone therapy for peri- and postmenopausal women taking hormone therapy .