Androgens and Antiandrogens: Impact on Women's Health and Hormone Replacement Therapy

In 2003, H.P.G. Schneider conducted a study on the role of androgens and antiandrogens in women's health. The research found that androgens, typically associated with male hormones, significantly impact women's health, influencing sexual desire, bone density, muscle mass, mood, and psychological well-being. However, measuring androgen production and availability in women was challenging due to unreliable assays. The study also explored the potential of antiandrogenic progestins in hormone replacement therapy, with cyproterone acetate being the most potent. Despite androgens' positive effects on libido, antiandrogenic properties in hormone replacement therapy doses did not negatively impact this. The study also investigated the effects of Climodien and estradiol valerate on vascular function, psychophysiological parameters, and cognitive information-processing capacity. Both treatments significantly increased urine levels of cGMP and 5-HIAA, markers of vasorelaxation, indicating similar vasorelaxant effects. The treatments also significantly reduced psychic and somatic status in postmenopausal women, with Climodien showing a positive effect on early stages of information processing. The study concluded that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with antiandrogenic progestogens improves vigilance and mood disorders, offering therapeutic possibilities for peri- and postmenopausal women.