Low libido experienced by female cancer survivors is not boosted by testosterone creams

May 2 2007

Scientists at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, say the low libido experienced by many female cancer survivors is not boosted by testosterone creams.

The scientists suggest that low libido is about more than just testosterone and is a complicated issue.

Female cancer patients often experience decreased sexual desire especially after treatment for breast or gynecologic cancers.

Previous research has indicated a link between testosterone therapy or androgen therapy, and increased libido in women with adequate estrogen levels.

Dr. Debra L. Barton the study's lead author says the issue probably needs a broader, more complicated solution.

As some studies appeared to have found testosterone cream helpful in restoring sexual interest in women with low libido, Barton and her team conducted the study to determine if this was the case.

A group of 150 women were randomly selected to receive testosterone cream or a placebo cream for four weeks; they were then switched to the opposite treatment for an additional four weeks.

The researchers say that while the women given the testosterone showed an increase in blood levels of the hormone, their change in libido was the same whether they were on the real testosterone cream or the placebo.

According to the researchers all previous studies in which testosterone cream was found to help increase libido were conducted in postmenopausal women taking estrogen; because women in this study were cancer survivors, estrogen supplementation was not an option, even though their levels of estrogen were low.

Barton and her colleagues say that it is possible a woman must have adequate levels of estrogen in order for testosterone to be an effective treatment for low libido.

The research is published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, May 2, 2007.