(With acknowledgments to iclinic.co.za).

A young woman produces plenty of the vital hormones – oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone; when she reaches fifty, however, her body produces far less. Most menopausal women, and younger ones who have had their ovaries removed for some reason, know about the need for the first two hormones on the list. Millions the world over are on some form of hormone replacement therapy, either supplementing with oestrogen only or a combination of oestrogen and progesterone.

Until recently testosterone has not generally been used in the supplement hormone cocktail. In his book “The Superhormone Promise”, Dr William Regelson, MD, suggests the reason for this: “There is a definite resistance to giving women what is mistakenly regarded as a purely male hormone”.

Regelson says doctors, and probably some patients too, have groundless fears that testosterone will somehow masculinise women, causing them to grow facial hair, become overly aggressive, and in some, look and behave too much like the stereotypical male.

He says he believes that the resistance also stems from the fact that testosterone is closely identified with sexuality and lust. Testosterone, you see, controls the sex drive for men and women. “It may be hard to believe, but many physicians still sincerely feel that it is unseemly to give women, especially menopausal women, anything that will enhance their libido,” says Regelson.

Fortunately, pioneers like Regelson and published research are gradually shattering the myth that testosterone is exclusively a male preserve. It is produced in the ovaries and adrenal glands of women – although women produce only about 10 percent of the amount men do.

Testosterone is important for normal female sexual development; it is one of the triggers of puberty and the onset of menstruation. Production of the hormone also increases just before a woman ovulates, increasing her sex drive, because that is when a woman is most fertile and likely to conceive.

Mother Nature has arranged things so that as a woman ages and her fertility therefore needs to decline, the amount of testosterone produced is reduced, until by the time she reaches menopause it is all but insignificant in many cases - although the amount varies between individuals.

Testosterone has also been found to help women maintain muscle and bone strength, and contribute to a feeling of wellbeing.

One of the leaders in the field of research into the role of testosterone in women, Dr Barbara Sherwin in Canada, found in one study among women who had had their ovaries (one-third of a woman’s testosterone is produced by the ovaries) removed for medical reasons, that giving these women combined testosterone and estrogen therapy had “a dramatic effect on their libido”. They were more interested in sex, enjoyed intercourse more, and even had more orgasms.

Dosages, of course, have to be carefully monitored and controlled (each woman’s requirements are different), and there could be side-effects to taking testosterone orally which are related to lowering levels of HDL (so-called “bad” cholesterol), which could increase heart disease risk.

Until recently testosterone could be administered to women in tablet form, by injection, or implant. Now, however, according to Iclinic.co.za) a testosterone skin patch is to be launched on the market.

Researchers have found new evidence confirming the theory that testosterone replacement in post-menopausal women can help rejuvenate the libido. A recent study was reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. Testosterone patches were tested on 75 sexually disinterested women who had had their ovaries removed – a condition known as surgically induced menopause – which caused them to stop producing enough testosterone.

“The women on the testosterone patches were two to three times as likely to have sexual thoughts and actions than those who were not,” said Dr Jan Shifren, a reproductive endocrinologist who headed the study.

The women in the study were aged between 31 and 56. Many of them reported having sexual fantasies, masturbating or having sex at least once a week while on the hormone.

The researchers concluded that the study shows the patches are safe and effective. Unfortunately they are not yet commercially available, but keep tabs on progress via your doctor!