The female Viagra
Scientists may have found the female Viagra - a testosterone patch that boosts a woman’s sex drive and makes love-making more satisfying.
Testosterone patches to help women’s sex life
By David Derbyshire, Science Correspondent in San Antonio
(Filed: 16/10/2003)
Scientists may have found the female Viagra - a testosterone patch that boosts a woman’s sex drive and makes love-making more satisfying.
Studies of the hormone patches, carried out at an Oxford hospital, found that they enhanced the libido of women suffering from lowered sex drives after the removal of their ovaries.
The same hormone treatment could also improve the sex lives of the estimated four out of 10 women thought to suffer from sexual dysfunction, the researchers believe.
Although testosterone is often described as the “male sex hormone”, it is produced by the ovaries and adrenal glands. Women whose ovaries are removed before the menopause lose about half of their normal testosterone and can suffer from a lowered sex drive.
The study looked at the effects and safety of the patches on 77 women for 24 weeks. The women had all gone through a “surgical menopause” and complained of a low sex drive.
Those wearing the patches reported improvements in sexual satisfaction, orgasms, arousal and self image. Testosterone treatment also improved their general wellbeing and health, the researchers told the American Society for Reproductive Medicine conference in San Antonio, Texas yesterday. Over the course of the study, the women reported no unpleasant side effects.
Dr Margaret Rees, a gynaecologist at John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford and a member of the research team, said: “This is a new development with the potential to help a lot of women. Most importantly, we can start and stop using the patches whenever they want to.
“We have a licensed product available for use on women - a testosterone implant which has to be inserted using a minor surgical procedure. But the drawback is that an implant is designed to give a continuous supply for six months which is a long time if it isn’t suiting a woman.
“We know that increasing testosterone levels can improve a woman’s libido, mood and well-being. Testosterone patches will be another option for women and if they don’t like them they can just stop using them.”
Dr Rees added: “Some women accept it. They say that there’s more to a relationship than testosterone. “However, other women want to improve their sexual desire.”
The patches are designed to restore levels of the hormone to natural concentrations.
“You see, I don’t want to do good things, I want to do great things.” ~Alexander Joseph Luthor
I know Lewd Ferrigno personally.
