Clinical trial NCT03210558: Study of Testosterone and Athlete Response
Official title: Effects of Moderately Increased Testosterone Concentration on Physical Performance and Behaviour in Healthy Women - a Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Study
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: PHASE2
Conditions: Athletic Performance
Testosterone
Women's Health: Female Athlete/Female Athlete Triad
Keywords: female athletes, testosterone, physical performance, body composition
Lead sponsor: Karolinska University Hospital
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences
First posted: 2017-07-07
Enrollment: 48
Sex: FEMALE
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 35
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, phase II trial of in total 50 women randomized to two parallel groups (1:1): Group A treated with transdermal testosterone or Group B treated with placebo for ten weeks.
Primary purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE

Brief summary: Trial objectives and purpose: The primary aim is to study the effects of moderately increased testosterone concentration on aerobic performance (endurance running time to exhaustion), and secondary aims to investigate the effects on submaximal work on treadmill, anaerobic capacity, muscle strength, body composition, behaviour and well-being, blood parameters, steroid hormone profile, gynecological parameters and skeletal muscle parameters in young healthy women in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Treatment: Ten weeks of transdermal treatment with testosterone cream 10 mg daily or placebo cream in a randomized design (1:1).

Primary outcome: Aerobic performance (running time to exhaustion on treadmill)

Secondary outcomes:

1. Submaximal work on treadmill (oxygen uptake, ventilation, heart rate, blood lactate and subjective rate of exhaustion)
2. Anaerobic performance (Wingate test)
3. Muscle strength (Cybex apparatus, force transducer, counter movement jump)
4. Body composition (Dual X-ray Absorptiometry: muscle mass, fat mass, bone mass)
5. Behaviour and well-being (Quality of life, Profile of mood state, Confidence Questionnaire, Aggression Questionnaire)
6. Blood parameters (hemoglobin, hematocrit, reticulocytes, ferritin, CRP)
7. Steroid hormone profile in blood and urine
8. Gynecological evaluation (ovarian and endometrial variables on ultrasound)
9. Skeletal muscle morphology, metabolic enzymes and muscle protein synthesis

Study population: Fifty healthy menstruating women will be included in the study and randomized to treatment with testosterone or placebo. Inclusion criteria: 18-35 yrs of age; body mass index (BMI) 19-25; non-smoking; a moderate to high self-reported level of recreational physical activity; not taking hormonal contraception and willing to use highly efficient non-hormonal contraception during the study (intrauterine device, bilateral tubal occlusion, vasectomised partner, same-sex partner, or sexual abstinence); accepting to not participate in any sports competitive event during the study period plus one month. Exclusion criteria: the presence of cardiovascular, liver, biliary or renal disease; hyperlipidemia; uncontrolled high blood pressure; endocrinological disorder; oligomenorrhea (menstrual intervals of more than 6 weeks) or amenorrhea (no menstruation for at least 3 months); pregnancy; a history of thromboembolic disorder; any malignancy; and intake of hormonal contraception the last two months prior to the study.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion criteria are: healthy menstruating women; 18-35 yrs of age; BMI 19-25; non-smoking; having a moderate to high self-reported level of recreational physical activity (minimum of three hours of endurance and/or strength training per week); not taking hormonal contraception; and willing to use highly efficient non-hormonal contraception during the study such as:

* Intrauterine device
* Bilateral tubal occlusion
* Vasectomised partner
* Same-sex partner
* Sexual abstinence

Exclusion criteria are: the presence of cardiovascular, liver, biliary or renal disease; hyperlipidemia; uncontrolled high blood pressure; endocrinological disorder; oligomenorrhea (menstrual intervals of more than 6 weeks) or amenorrhea (no menstruation for at least 3 months); pregnancy; a history of thromboembolic disorder; any malignancy; and intake of hormonal contraception the last two months prior to the study.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Aerobic performance
timeFrame: Baseline and 10 weeks of treatment
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Submaximal work on treadmill
timeFrame: Baseline and 10 weeks of treatment
measure: Anaerobic performance (Wingate test)
timeFrame: Baseline and 10 weeks of treatment
measure: Muscle strength (knee extension torque)
timeFrame: Baseline and 10 weeks of treatment
measure: Functional power development-jump tests
timeFrame: Baseline and 10 weeks of treatment
measure: Physical activity during one week before treatment and one week before the end of treatment
timeFrame: Baseline and 10 weeks of treatment
measure: Muscle mass
timeFrame: Baseline and 10 weeks of treatment
measure: Body fat percentage
timeFrame: Baseline and 10 weeks of treatment
measure: Bone mineral density
timeFrame: Baseline and 10 weeks of treatment
measure: Psychological General Well-Being
timeFrame: Baseline and 10 weeks of treatment
measure: Mood
timeFrame: Baseline and 10 weeks of treatment
measure: Confidence
timeFrame: Baseline and 10 weeks of treatment
measure: Aggression
timeFrame: Baseline and 10 weeks of treatment
measure: Blood parameters
timeFrame: Baseline and 10 weeks of treatment
measure: Steroid hormone profile in blood and urine
timeFrame: Baseline and 10 weeks of treatment
measure: Gynecological evaluation
timeFrame: Baseline and 10 weeks of treatment
measure: Skeletal muscle
timeFrame: Baseline and 10 weeks of treatment
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Stockholm
country: Sweden
facility: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Karolinska University Hospital
Study officials:
affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
name: Angelica Lindén Hirschberg
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
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