Pharmacokinetics of a Transdermal Testosterone Cream in Healthy Postmenopausal Women

In a 2015 study, the effects of a transdermal testosterone cream (TTC) were examined in seven healthy postmenopausal women with an average age of 59.3 years. The study was a two-way cross-over design where participants applied either 5 mg or 10 mg of TTC daily for 21 days. Results showed that a single 5 mg dose of TTC achieved median uncorrected total testosterone (TT) and free testosterone (fT) average concentrations of 0.54 ng/mL and 4.14 pg/mL, respectively. Increasing the dose to 10 mg resulted in only a 30% increase in TT and fT levels. No significant changes were observed in dihydrotestosterone, estrone, estradiol, or sex hormone-binding globulin levels. The 5 mg dose was sufficient to restore TT and fT levels to the reference range for premenopausal women. The study concluded that 5 mg of TTC is effective in restoring testosterone levels in postmenopausal women without significantly altering other hormone levels. However, the study had a small sample size, with only five and six women providing pharmacokinetic data for the 5 mg and 10 mg doses, respectively.