Not just sex: other roles for testosterone in women

Abstract

Testosterone is unquestionably a normal female hormone that exerts important physiological effects in multiple tissues. Clinical trials have consistently demonstrated benefits of testosterone therapy on several domains of sexual function for postmenopausal women with low sexual desire causing substantial personal concern. Whether other benefits can be attributed to testosterone therapy for postmenopausal women remains uncertain. This article summarizes the available data for the use of testosterone therapy beyond the treatment of low sexual desire with distress. The article is not a systematic review of the entire published literature in the field. Rather, it includes recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses the author highlighted in their plenary lecture at the 2024 World Congress on the Menopause. The aim was to provide an overview of the published data for clinicians and researchers in this field.