Transdermal testosterone patch increases sexual desire in women after surgical menopause
Testosterone hormone: low levels after menopause can cause libido
problems |
A transdermal patch that delivers 300µg of testosterone daily
produces modest increases in sexual desire in women who have undergone
surgical menopause, according to a new study (Archives
of Internal Medicine 2005;165:1582).
The patch, along with others that delivered either a lower or higher
dose of testosterone, was tested against placebo in a 24-week double-blind
trial involving 447 women aged 24 to 70 years. The women had developed
low sexual desire after surgical menopause and were being treated with
oral oestrogen therapy. Compared with women receiving placebo, those
treated with the 300µg/day patch reported greater increases in
scores for sexual desire: the score rose from a mean of 20.9 to 34.6
in the treatment group (a 67 per cent increase) compared with a rise
from 20.9 to 29.3 in the placebo group (a 48 per cent increase). Sexual
arousal scores showed similar changes.
The author of an accompanying editorial points out that the change in
frequency of satisfying sexual activity translated to an absolute increase
from three to five episodes per month (ibid, p1571). The study was funded
by Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals, manufacturer of Intrinsa, a
testosterone patch developed for use in female hypoactive sexual desire
disorder.
Nuttan Tanna, specialist pharmacist at the Northwick Park Menopause Clinical
and Research Unit, North West London Hospitals NHS Trust, welcomed the
research. She said: “It is good to note that research is being
undertaken to see if a patch system offers libido symptom control.”
Dr Tanna developed libido guidelines in 2002 after noting that many patients
attending her clinics were presenting with problems. “We are aware
that many women would prefer to have testosterone via alternative administration
routes rather then implants, and many specialist units use the testosterone
gel licensed for male hypogonadism on a non-licensed basis for women
going through the menopause with a libido complaint.”
Procter & Gamble withdrew a licence application for its testosterone
patch in the US in December 2004 after an advisory committee to the US
Food and Drug Administration rejected the patch’s approval because
of a lack of both efficacy and safety data. |
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