The guideline is an update from 2006. “We don’t have any data to support the use of testosterone or DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) in women, and there’s no evidence for an androgen-deficiency syndrome,” says Margaret E. Wierman, MD, from the University of Colorado. She is the writing chair and Endocrine Society vice president.
Specifically, testosterone is not recommended to treat women with infertility or cognitive, cardiovascular, metabolic, or sexual dysfunction (other than hypoactive sexual desire) or to promote bone health or well-being, she added.
Limited evidence suggests that postmenopausal women who are upset by and diagnosed with hypoactive sexual desire disorder might benefit from a 3-to-6 month trial dose of testosterone, according to the guideline. But these patients would have to be closely monitored for signs of androgen excess.
Moreover, “the next bump in the road…is that currently, there are no FDA-approved preparations [of testosterone for women] in the US,” and the testosterone patch for women is no longer approved in Europe, Dr. Wierman explained.
However, some physicians still opt to prescribe testosterone therapy to otherwise-healthy women on an off-label basis, she noted. “If you’re going to use it off label – which we don’t recommend - you really have to carefully monitor [testosterone levels]…so that you’re not overshooting the normal range,” she stressed.
