Testosterone Therapy in Women: A Literature Review of Clinical Indications, Dosing, Routes of Administration, and Safety.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative literature review without systematic search methods or new empirical data.
PubMed 42110023 · doi:10.7759/cureus.106713
What was done
This narrative review synthesized published literature regarding the physiological role of testosterone in women, clinical manifestations of androgen deficiency, diagnostic challenges, routes of administration such as implants and transdermal patches, dosing considerations, and safety outcomes in pre- and post-menopausal women.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical data, sample sizes, or effect estimates. Qualitatively, the authors report that testosterone therapy relieves symptoms of hypoactive sexual desire disorder, vasomotor symptoms, and mood changes. Adverse events are described as mostly mild and reversible, with acne and hirsutism occurring most frequently. The authors state that existing long-term safety data, including from transgender medicine, have not demonstrated increased risks of breast cancer or cardiovascular disease at therapeutic doses.
Why it matters
Despite widespread clinical use, the lack of FDA-approved female testosterone products drives reliance on compounded therapies with variable quality. This paper summarizes clinical practice considerations and emphasizes the need for standardized trials to inform regulatory approval pathways.
Limits
As an unsystematic narrative review, the paper lacks standardized search criteria, study selection protocols, and formal risk-of-bias evaluation. No original data are presented, quantitative findings are omitted from the abstract, safety inferences rely partly on indirect populations, and clinical evaluation remains constrained by unreliable laboratory hormone assays.
Cited by
- supports There are no FDA-approved testosterone medications specifically for women in the United States.