Testosterone Offers Women Benefits, Risks

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"Bringing testosterone levels up to normal, when there are low levels due to a pituitary problem, improves mood and sexual function. There were also improvements in quality of life, including energy level," Miller said.

She cautioned that the study did not deal with women with normal testosterone levels. "Our concern is that supplemental testosterone in women with normal levels would have side effects, like unwanted facial and body hair," she said.

The data are very preliminary, Miller added. "There is no Food and Drug Administration testosterone patch approved for women," she said.

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In a second study -- this time by researchers at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia -- investigators gave either the 150 gram/day or 300 gram/day versions of the Intrinsa patch, or a placebo, twice a week to 771 postmenopausal women.

Six months into the study, women on the 300 gram/day patch reported "significantly improved" levels of sexual activity, desire, and other markers of sexual function, as well as lowered anxiety, compared with women taking placebo. Women on the lower-dose (150 grams/day) patch saw only minimal improvements in sexual function, the Australian team reported.

The researchers noted that women on higher-dose Intrinsa did experience "an increase of the frequency of unwanted hair," although this side effect was rated as "mild to moderate in severity." The study was funded by Proctor & Gamble.

Last December, the FDA voted against the approval of Intrinsa for women with low libido, citing insufficient long-term safety data. Thus far, the only such remedies available to women with low libido are off-label, including Estratest (estrogen and methyltestosterone), currently on the market for relief of menopausal symptoms, and some other products that are specifically made for men.

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