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Libido Low in Many U.S. Women, Testosterone Patch Helps
By Jimmy Downs
Nov 9, 2008 - 8:03:42 AM

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Vitami.n C Lowers Bloo.d Pressur.e

Sunday 09 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- A study published in the July 2008 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine found a high percentage of women in the United States experience low sexual desire and another study showed a high dose of testosterone boosts sexual episodes among postmenopausal women with low libidos.

The first study showed prevalence of low sexual drive ranged from 26.7 percent among premenopausal women to 52.4 percent among naturally menopausal women. Of surgically menopausal women, 12.5 percent had hypoactive sexual desire disorder.

Low sexual drive is associated with low levels of arousal and sexual excitement, resulting in infrequent orgasms and reduced sexual satisfaction.

For the study, Suzanne L and colleagues from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals in Mason, Ohio surveyed 2,207 U.S. women aged 30 to 70 and in stable relationships that lasted equal or greater than three months for their sexual desire.

The researchers focused on 755 premenopausal women and 552 naturally and 637 surgically menopausal women. Low sexual desire was defined using the profile of female sexual function desire domain and HSDD was defined using the profile of female sexual function and the personal distress scale.

Suzanne and colleagues concluded that "Prevalence of low sexual desire is elevated among surgically and naturally menopausal women vs premenopausal women. Distress about low desire (HSDD) appears to be more than twice as prevalent among surgically menopausal women vs premenopausal women, although the estimate is fairly imprecise."

One treatment for low sexual desire in women is use of testosterone.   Another study published in a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine found that 300 micrograms of this hormone per day for 24 weeks more than doubled sexual episodes or the frequency of having sex among postmenopausal women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder, a condition that is caused by a low libido and affects as many as 32% of the menopausal population .

But the testosterone patches for women comes with a risk.   Of 534 women receiving the treatment, 4 were diagnosed with breast cancer during the one-year study compared to one of 277 women in the control group.

Experts cautioned that many factors affect women’s sexual activity including autonomic nervous system, testosterone and other sex hormones, and environmental factors such as mental health, fatigue, quality of the partner relationship.  

Low sexual desire can also result from chronic illness including diabetes, heart disease, rheumatic conditions, and cancer which can lead to fatigue, depression, pain, medication, and changes in body image.   For many women, the condition can be just a result of the natural aging process.

Clinicians should not give postmenopausal women testosterone patches as a cure-all given that the safety or risk of the treatment remains uncertain.