Keywords
Libido
Testosterone
Hormone Replacement Therapy
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Abstract
Objective: To describe the effectiveness of testosterone replacement during menopause for decreased libido, as well as its indications, contraindications and risks. Bibliographic Review: During menopause, estradiol and testosterone levels decrease significantly, about 50-80%. Therefore, the treatment of low female libido is necessary, even though the only formal indication for such treatment is hypoactive sexual desire disorder. Before initiating treatment, a complete clinical and laboratory evaluation must be performed. Therapy doses should approximate physiological premenopausal testosterone concentrations. The benefits of replacement include lubrication, increase in sexual desire and arousal scores. Among the risks, it is noted: acne, hirsutism, dysphonia and alopecia. Contraindications are liver dysfunction and hyperlipidemia. Lastly, it is important to point out that the limitations regarding testosterone therapy such as the lack of approved formulations for women and its off-label use in many countries. Final considerations: Testosterone replacement during menopause showed an improvement in the sexual desire of women previously clinically evaluated with a diagnosis of sexual dysfunction and reduced libido.
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