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Effect of Testosterone Therapy versus Other Factors on the Self-reported Sexual Satisfaction of Premenopausal Women
- Susan R. Davis, MBBS, MD, PhD;
- Bronwyn G.A. Stuckey, MD;
- John Wlodarczyk, PhD;
- Andrew Humberstone, PhD; and
- Robert J. Norman, MD
- From Monash University, Prahran, Victoria 3181; Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Western Australia 6009; John Wlodarczyk Consultancy Services, New Lambton Heights, New South Wales 2305; Nucleus Network, Melbourne, Victoria 3004; and University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia.
IN RESPONSE:
We wish to address the comments regarding our article on the effects of transdermal testosterone for premenopausal women. As described in the online Appendix, the discrepancy between screening testosterone at baseline and the data presented is due to the former being measured by using a free testosterone kit assay to achieve quick turnaround at the time of recruitment and the latter being measured by using a validated sensitive assay (Esoterix, Calabasas Hills, California). The primary reason for setting a screening blood testosterone level was to minimize the likelihood of androgenization by excluding women with high testosterone levels. We agree that there is no level of testosterone that correlates with low self-reported sexual well-being (1). The maximum benefit seemed to be in the women receiving a single 90-μL dose per day; however, when we looked at all data across the study rather than just those in the final month, the signal was much stronger and results were statistically significant for both the single 90-μL dose per day and the double 90-μL dose per day. We agree that sexual function is extremely complex; however, to undertake a study that takes into account all the major influences on sexual well-being and satisfaction would be very ambitious. That we demonstrated an effect of testosterone therapy, albeit modest, over and above the inherent background “noise” in this study indicates that testosterone independently influences female sexual function.
Bronwyn G.A. Stuckey, MD
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
John Wlodarczyk, PhD
John Wlodarczyk Consultancy Services
New Lambton Heights, New South Wales 2305, Australia
Andrew Humberstone, PhD
Nucleus Network
Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia
Robert J. Norman, MD
University of Adelaide
Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
Article and Author Information
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Potential Financial Conflicts of Interest: None disclosed.
