THE CLINICAL USE OF ANDROGENS IN FEMALE SEXUAL DISORDERS

Sexual health is an important component of overall health and well-bei ng. Multiple factors clearly influence an individual's sexuality; howe ver, there is a general trend in Western societies to blame psychosoci al factors for diminished sexuality in women. Sex steroid hormones are important determinants of sexual function in women and men, and there is increasing agreement that androgens play a key role in female sexu ality. Androgen levels in, women decline substantially during the repr oductive years, with little change subsequent to spontaneous menopause . The most common complaint of women experiencing androgen deficiency is loss of sexual desire, and several studies have now shown improveme nts in a number of parameters of sexuality in postmenopausal women tre ated with exogenous testosterone.