Hormonal
Testosterone therapy is not recommended for healthy women or those with conditions other than hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) due to lack of defined syndrome, unclear correlation between levels and symptoms, and insufficient long-term safety data.
Do not seek testosterone therapy for general fatigue, low libido, or 'anti-aging' unless you have been specifically diagnosed with HSDD by a specialist. There is no established 'low T syndrome' in women, and treating based on blood levels alone is not supported by evidence and carries unknown long-term risks.
We recommend against making a diagnosis of androgen deficiency syndrome in healthy women because there is a lack of a well-defined syndrome, and data correlating androgen levels with specific signs or symptoms are unavailable.
Why this rating
Based on systematic reviews and GRADE methodology, rated as strong recommendation (1) with moderate to high quality evidence (QQEE/QEEE).
Source
Androgen Therapy in Women: A Reappraisal: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline
Margaret E. Wierman et al. · The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism · 2014
DOI 10.1210/jc.2014-2260
More from this paper
- Testosterone therapy is conditionally recommended for postmenopausal women with properly diagnosed hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) to achieve midnormal premenopausal levels, with monitoring for androgen excess.Limited
- Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is not recommended for general use in women due to inadequate indications and lack of evidence for efficacy and long-term safety.Weak
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