The effects of low-dose testosterone treatment on lipid metabolism, clotting factors and ultrasonographic ovarian morphology in women

INTRODUCTION Low doses of androgen are used in women for the symptomatic treatment of sexual dysfunction and premenstrual syndrome (PMS). However, little is known about the long-term safety of androgen use in women. This study investigated the effects of low dose exogenous testosterone (T) on lipid metabolism, markers of activation of the coagulation system and ultrasonographic ovarian morphology in women. PATIENTS Twenty-two patients with severe PMS (age 39.6 +/- 3.1 years, mean +/- SD) treated with subcutaneous T implants (100 mg six monthly) for at least two years (mean duration 3.3 (+/- 0.9 years) were compared with 22 age-matched (age 37.7 +/- 2.9 years) control patients with severe PMS who had not previously received T treatment. All women continued to have regular menses. MEASUREMENTS Fasting blood samples were obtained for measurement of lipids and clotting factors and ovarian ultrasound examination carried out between days 1-4 of the menstrual cycle (2.3 +/- 1.2 months after the T implant in T-treated group). RESULTS Mean plasma T was 4.5 +/- 2.2 nmol/l, and 1.9+/-0.6 nmol/l in the treated and control groups, respectively. In the T-treated group apolipoprotein-A1 (Apo-Al) (treated 99.2 +/- 12 vs controls 116.2 +/- 27.7 g/l, P< 0.01) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (treated 1.3+/-0.3 vs controls 1.5 +/- 0.4 nmol/l, P< 0.01) were significantly decreased. In addition very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) (treated 0.4 +/- 0.3 vs controls 0.2 +/- 0.1 nmol/l, P< 0.05) was increased in T-treated patients. There were no differences in total serum cholesterol and triglyceride or low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), apolipoprotein B (Apo-B), lipoprotein(a), lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase and cholesteryl ester transfer protein activity. There was no difference in clotting factors between the two groups which included prothrombin time, fibrinogen, antithrombin-III, protein-C, protein-S (total and free), tissue plasminogen activator, plasminogen activator inhibitor, beta-thromboglobulin and prothrombin fragments 1.2. Ultrasound showed normal ovarian architecture with no evidence of polycystic ovarian changes in any patients in the T-treated group. No patient experienced adverse symptoms while on T treatment, in particular, there were no complaints of hirsutism or acne and no one requested termination of treatment. CONCLUSION Low-dose testosterome administration to women for over two years did not induce changes in ovarian architecture but had small, potentially atherogenic effects on some parameters of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. However, no differences were detected in markers of activation of the clotting system to indicate an actual increase in the risk of thrombosis. Overall, this study provides largely reassuring data about the safety of low-dose androgen treatment in women. However, caution should be exercised in women with existing or a familial predisposition to lipid abnormalities, because of the small but significant changes found in HDL-C, ape-Al and VLDL-C.