- With Mayo Clinic gynecologist and obstetrician
Mary M. Gallenberg, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Mary M. Gallenberg, M.D.
Mary M. Gallenberg, M.D.
Dr. Mary Gallenberg is board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and by the American Board of Internal Medicine in internal medicine and medical oncology.
An Antigo, Wis., native, Dr. Gallenberg is a consultant in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and an assistant professor at College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Gallenberg has been with Mayo Clinic since 1990. She was on the Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource editorial board and has been honored for excellence in teaching. She also won a Mayo Clinic Excellence Through Teamwork award.
Symptoms (1)
- Bleeding after menopause: Is it normal?
Treatments and drugs (3)
- Bioidentical hormones: Are they safer?
- Hormone replacement therapy: Cause of vaginal bleeding?
- Testosterone therapy in women: Does it boost sex drive?
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Question
Testosterone therapy in women: Does it boost sex drive?
Does testosterone therapy help increase sex drive in menopausal women? When should this be considered? What are the pros and cons?
Answer
from Mary M. Gallenberg, M.D.
Research shows that the hormone testosterone does effectively boost sex drive — as well as remedy other sexual problems — in certain women with sexual dysfunction. But whether or not to use testosterone therapy presents a dilemma for women and their doctors. The long-term safety of testosterone therapy for women is unknown. Some experts recommend testosterone therapy; others believe more research is needed.
Testosterone therapy usually is prescribed only for women who have sufficient estrogen levels and not for women who are postmenopausal and can't or choose not to take estrogen. Testosterone therapy might be appropriate if:
- You have reduced sex drive, depression and fatigue after surgically-induced menopause and estrogen therapy hasn't been effective in relieving your symptoms
- You're postmenopausal, you're taking estrogen therapy and you have a decreased sex drive with no other identifiable causes
Testosterone therapy isn't appropriate for postmenopausal women who have a history of breast or uterine cancer or those who have cardiovascular or liver disease.
Testosterone therapy for women usually comes in the form of a cream, gel or patch, but sometimes it's prescribed as a pill. However, no commonly prescribed testosterone preparations have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in women. If testosterone is prescribed, it's for off-label use.
Although testosterone contributes to healthy sexual function in women, other factors play a larger role in postmenopausal sexual dysfunction. These factors include decreased estrogen levels, vaginal dryness, medication side effects, chronic health conditions, loss of a spouse or partner, lack of emotional intimacy, conflict, stress, or mood concerns.
Next questionBleeding after menopause: Is it normal?
- The North American Menopause Society. The role of testosterone therapy in postmenopausal women: Position statement of The North American Menopause Society. Menopause. 2005;12:497.
- Androgen therapy in women: An Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. Chevy Chase, Md.: The Endocrine Society. http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/91/10/3697. Accessed June 3, 2010.
- Schwenkhagen A, et al. Role of testosterone in the treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder. Maturitas. 2009;63:152.
- Shifren JL. Sexual dysfunction in women: Management. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 3, 2010.
- Krapf JM, et al. The role of testosterone in the management of hypoactive sexual desire disorder in postmenopausal women. Maturitas. 2009;63:213.
- Panzer C, et al. Testosterone replacement therapy in naturally and surgically menopausal women. The Journal of Sexual Medicine. 2009;6:8.
Find Mayo Clinic on