NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Postmenopausal women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder reported improved sexual function when treated with transdermal testosterone, in a clinical trial reported in the New England Journal of Medicine for November 6.

“Many postmenopausal women continue to be sexually active despite a high level of sexual dissatisfaction, engaging in sexual activity to please their partner and maintain domestic harmony,” lead author Dr. Susan R. Davis, at Monash University in Prahran, Australia, and fellow researchers note.

While testosterone has proved effective for increasing libido among postmenopausal women on hormone replacement therapy, efficacy in women not on estrogen is unknown. There has been concern that unopposed exogenous testosterone might adversely affect lipid levels, glucose metabolism, or the breast.

The APHRODITE trial (A Phase III Research Study of Female Sexual Dysfunction in Women on Testosterone Patch without Estrogen), conducted at 65 centers in Australia, Europe, and North America, included postmenopausal women who reported significant loss of sexual desire that was causing personal distress.

The randomized, double-blind study included 267 women treated transdermally with testosterone 150