Who needs a testosterone patch?
by Frances Bushrod, Ph.D Younger women who undergo hysterectomy and oophorectomy experience a premature menopause, the symptoms of which are normally treated with oestrogen replacement therapy. However, after such surgery testosterone production also decreases to around half the pre-operative level; this has been associated with the serious loss of sexual desire termed Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD). In an effort to alleviate this condition a testosterone patch, Intrinsa, was developed by Procter and Gamble Pharmaceuticals to be prescribed for surgically menopausal women up to the age of 60 years who are also receiving ERT. Recently approved by the EMEA for use in the EU, though not yet approved by the FDA, the patch was studied in clinical trials in women who had experienced surgically-induced menopause. The studies demonstrated a 74% increase in sexual satisfaction in the group using the patch compared with the placebo group. Frequent side-effects, encountered by more than
