Testosterone use for libido by breast cancer survivors

[AlaskaAngel]

The results of the 2004 NCI study about this are available. As one of the 150 chosen to participate in this trial in 2004, I have some comments about it.

The trial was done to see if use of testosterone by breast cancer survivors would help with libido, AND to see what hormonal changes took place.

The conclusions reached were that testosterone supplementation does not help with libido AND that testosterone supplementation does NOT increase the blood levels of estradiol.

This information I think is important. Breast cancer survivors have been leery of using testosterone supplementation because the medical community believed that testosterone would break down into estradiol. So from this trial it appears clear that it does not.

One might ask what is the point, since it doesn't seem to help with libido? But I would be cautious about accepting that it does not help. Testosterone supplementation alone may not help; but this trial did not answer the question as to whether using it by balancing it with other hormones would help. As mentioned in the trial results, perhaps libido requires some amount of supplementation with estrogen. However, it also may be true that restoring libido requires some amount of testosterone as well to provide a needed balance, or it might require a balance of testosterone with other hormones such as progesterone, or even melatonin or insulin or ? So as a participant in the trial I do not accept that testosterone is "not useful in this group". So the fact that use of testosterone did NOT increase the levels of estradiol is quite significant to ME.

A second point is that the trial required that the testosterone cream not be applied in the genital area. My understanding from general discussion among women who found testosterone supplementation quite useful was that they were applying it to the clitoris.

If you want to see the study results, they can be found in ASCO 2006, Abstract 8507.

-AlaskaAngel

[Hopeful]

Just saw this today: http://www.medwire-news.md/46/67920/...r_work-up.html

More food for thought.

Hopeful

[suzan w]

thanks for this info...now I have a question for my oncologist!!!! (see my new post!!!) I tried using testosterone cream about a year ago with no noticeable results.

[Jen]

I can't see why testosterone would have an effect on the female libido since testosterone is a male sex hormone although females to have some testosterone present in their body (just as males do have some estrogen) the level is relatively low as compared to men.

[AlaskaAngel]

Hi Jen,

One of the lesser pieces of information they were seeking from the trial was whether or not very low doses of testosterone would cause things like deepening of the voice or male-pattern hair growth, since men have more testosterone than women do, and to begin with postmenopausal women have less estrogen than premenopausal women. The trial conclusion was that it didn't.

AlaskaAngel