Controversies Regarding Transdermal Androgen Therapy in Postmenopausal Women

The 2006 document reviews the use of transdermal androgen therapy, specifically testosterone patches, for postmenopausal women with sexual dysfunction, highlighting the modest benefits and the lack of long-term safety data. It reports that while testosterone therapy can improve sexual function, the improvements are modest and the long-term safety, particularly regarding breast and endometrial tissue and metabolic syndrome, is uncertain. The document suggests a short-term trial of up to 24 weeks for surgically menopausal women on estrogen with distressful sexual dysfunction but advises against generalized or long-term use until more data are available. It also discusses the challenges in diagnosing Female Androgen Deficiency Syndrome (FADS) due to the lack of correlation between symptoms and testosterone levels and the need for reliable assays. The authors call for future trials to be federally funded to better assess long-term safety and efficacy.