Testosterone therapy for women with low sexual desire: a position statement from the Brazilian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism

ABSTRACT Objective To summarize current evidence regarding testosterone treatment for women with low sexual desire. Materials and methods The Female Endocrinology and Andrology Department of the Brazilian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism invited nine experts to review the physiology of testosterone secretion and the use, misuse, and side effects of exogenous testosterone therapy in women, based on the available literature and guidelines and statements from international societies. Results Low sexual desire is a common complaint in clinical practice, especially in postmenopausal women, and may negatively interfere with quality of life. Testosterone seems to exert a positive effect on sexual desire in women with sexual dysfunction, despite a small magnitude of effect, a lack of long-term safety data, and insufficient evidence to make a broad recommendation for testosterone therapy. Furthermore, there are currently no testosterone formulations approved for women by the relevant regulatory agencies in the United States, Brazil, and most other countries, and testosterone formulations approved for men are not recommended for use by women. Conclusion Therefore, testosterone therapy might be considered if other strategies fail, but the risks and benefits must be discussed with the patient before prescription. Arch Endocrinol Metab. 2019;63(3):190-8

摘要

## 目的
总结当前针对低性欲女性的睾酮（testosterone）治疗相关研究证据。

## 材料与方法
巴西内分泌与代谢学会女性内分泌与男科分会邀请9位专家，依据现有文献及国际学会发布的指南与声明，对女性睾酮分泌生理、外源性睾酮治疗（exogenous testosterone therapy）的应用、滥用情况及不良反应进行综述。

## 结果
低性欲是临床常见主诉，尤其多见于绝经后女性（postmenopausal women），可对患者生活质量产生负面影响。尽管睾酮对女性性功能障碍患者的性欲具有正向改善作用，但该效应幅度较小，缺乏长期安全性数据，且尚无足够证据支持广泛推荐睾酮治疗。此外，目前美国、巴西及多数其他国家的相关监管机构均未批准适用于女性的睾酮制剂，获批用于男性的睾酮制剂亦不推荐女性使用。

## 结论
因此，若其他治疗策略均无效，可考虑采用睾酮治疗，但处方前需与患者充分讨论其风险与获益。

《内分泌代谢档案》（Arch Endocrinol Metab），2019；63(3)：190-198