Dr. Friedman is a specialist in pituitary, adrenal and thyroid problems, serving at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine, where he heads the Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Molecular Medicine Department. Dr. Friedman explains that a definitive answer to a woman's need for testosterone cannot be fully answered until data from clinical studies has been fully analyzed.
Dr. Friedman's Studies of Malfunctioning Pituitary Glands
No consensus has been reached yet about the benefits of giving testosterone supplements to women. Dr. Friedman acknowledges that many of his medical colleagues are aware of the potential benefits of topping up testosterone levels in women. What is holding them back is whether or not women who exhibit a reduction in testosterone, have low testosterone levels for a reason.
Currently Dr. Friedman is studying the effects of two hormones made in the pituitary, LH and FSH, both of which regulate the production of testosterone. He explains that LH affects the amount of testosterone produced by the ovaries; ACTH regulates testosterone released from the adrenal glands. A rising FSH is a clear indication of poor ovarian function, according to infertility specialist Dr. Anjali Malpani.
Low Libido
As the result of his research, Dr. Friedman was able to establish "very significant correlation with low testosterone levels and low libido." This was established due to patients in the study exhibiting a wide range of testosterone levels.
Some of these patients were experiencing pituitary problems, while others also in the study were regarded as having a normally functioning pituitary. It was those patients with poor pituitary functioning who were found to have both low testosterone levels and a correspondingly low libido.
So far, the evidence from clinical studies such as Dr. Friedman's appears to suggest that, if testosterone levels in women were increased, it would assist with sexual arousal, restore their sexual libido and encourage sexual fantasies, reducing evidence of poor libido and sexual dysfunction.
Depression or Sense of Well-Being
Both psychological problems and depression are thought to be improved with the addition of small amounts of testosterone, enhancing not just mood but a general sense of well-being.
The "New England Journal of Medicine" published the results of a random, double-blind clinical study in 2000. This involved 75 women between 31 and 56 years of age, all of whom had undergone a radical hysterectomy that involved the removal of both ovaries and the uterus. The women were offered either a placebo, a 150 mcg or a 300 mcg testosterone patch. This study took place over three consecutive periods of 12-week cycles.
The results obtained were indisputable: All the women trialed with the 300 mcg testosterone patches exhibited vastly improved feelings of general well-being as well as a marked improvement in both mood and sexual libido. Similar results from another study were published in the February 2009 edition of the "Neuropsychopharmacology Journal."
Poor Muscle Tone
A healthy body well into later life is bound to have a beneficial effect on how women feel about themselves. Incipient menopause has been attributed to women beginning to gain weight. Until recently, however, low testosterone was not considered as a possible cause of a menopausal woman retaining abdominal fat. The "Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism" explains the results of a study involving nandrolone, a testosterone analog, being given to women with obesity.
The results showed clearly that these low doses of testosterone encourage more body fat to be lost, especially subcutaneous abdominal fat, as well as gaining an enhanced quality of muscle tone. The women in the group taking nandrolone showed a loss of over twice the body fat of their cohorts taking placebos, as well as a gain in lean muscle mass of 6 lbs.
When Does a Woman Need Testosterone?
Although the results of Dr. Friedman's studies are still being analzyed, it seems to suggest that women may need to take a testosterone supplement if they are suffering from a malfunctioning pituitary. This is the work Dr. Friedman is involved in at present.
As he explains, it is the responsibility of the pituitary gland to produce sufficient quantities of LH and FSH, each having a direct effect on the amount of testosterone being released naturally by the body: LH stimulating the ovaries to produce testosterone and FSH stimulating the adrenal glands.
According to Dr. Malpani, who specializes in infertility problems, in the absence of adequate ovary function, FSH would rise to try to compensate. It is hardly a surprise then that those women who have had a total hysterectomy and who no longer have ovaries in their bodies, may experience less testosterone.
These women may benefit from a boost of synthetic testosterone, although Dr. Friedman has reservations: He still wants to know if there is a reason why menopausal women's testosterone levels are lower. Low testosterone in women appears to cause poor libido, sexual dysfunction and lack of interest in sex, as well as poor muscle tone and a propensity toward abdominal obesity.
Synthetic testosterone supplementation could reduce the possible development of heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, osteoporosis and depression from developing. Adequate supplementation of testosterone in women could achieve a better sense of well-being and fewer psychological problems: the question at the moment is, how much to give?
