Women, as well as men, produce testosterone; the hormone affects sex drive as well as energy levels and general sense of well-being.
In The Hormone of Desire: The Truth About Sexuality, Menopause, and Testosterone, psychiatrist Susan Rako writes that women lose much of their testosterone, as well as estrogen, at menopause. A very low testosterone level interferes with a woman's sex drive.
But many experts say prescribing testosterone for women is untested. Although there is currently "a big sell going on for testosterone," there are no long-term studies to back up its use, says Dr. Wulf Utian of the University Hospitals of Cleveland. "You want the same kind of scrutiny we had for hormone replacement therapy."
Says Dr. Sadja Greenwood of the University of California Medical School: "Women should not be told testosterone is the hormone of desire. . . . So many times women have been given medications before the long-term consequences are in. Is this another case?"
Salt Lake City endocrinologist Dr. Kirtly Parker Jones says: "Women now think they can take this hormone to make them more interested in sex. A woman's interest in sex is 95% psychological and about 5% physiological. This issue has been very sensationalized."
But testosterone has its champions. Dr. Barbara Bartlik, Cornell University Medical College, says: "We could work with women in sex therapy, treat their depression, but we still could not fix their sexual responsiveness unless we first fix their testosterone levels."
Manhattan reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Hugh Melnick says of possible side effects such as facial hair: "Women won't become masculinized on low doses of testosterone. Each woman's treatment program is individualized."