Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Research
  • Published:

Serum androgen levels in healthy premenopausal women with and without sexual dysfunction: Part B: Reduced serum androgen levels in healthy premenopausal women with complaints of sexual dysfunction

International Journal of Impotence Research volume 16, pages 121–129 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

Androgen insufficiency has been associated with decreased libido and arousal in postmenopausal women, but rarely has been evaluated in healthy premenopausal women. In all, 32 healthy premenopausal women were enrolled in this study, 18 with one or more complaints of sexual dysfunction and 14 without. Assays of ovarian and adrenal androgens were measured before and after ACTH stimulation. The women with complaints of sexual dysfunction had significantly lower adrenal androgens than did the control women. There were no differences in the basal ovarian androgens or cortisol levels. After ACTH, both groups stimulated cortisol as well as adrenal and ovarian androgens. In conclusion, premenopausal women with complaints of sexual dysfunction had lower adrenal androgen precursors and testosterone than age-matched control women without such complaints. Further study is required to determine how lower adrenal androgens contribute to female sexual dysfunction.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1
Figure 4
Figure 2
Figure 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Basson R et al. Report of an international consensus development conference on female sexual dysfunction: definitions and classifications. J Urol 2000; 163: 888–893.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Rosen RC, Taylor JF, Leiblum SR, Bachman GA . Prevalence of sexual dysfunction in women: results of a survey study of 329 women in an outpatient gynecology clinic. J Sex Marital Ther 1993; 19: 171–188.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Laumann EO, Paik AP, Rosen RC . Sexual dysfunction in the United States: prevalence and predictors. J Am Med Assoc 1999; 281: 537–544.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Brauanstein G et al. Female androgen insufficiency: the Princeton consensus statement on definition, classification, and assessment. Fert Ster 2002; 77: 660–665.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Labrie F et al. Marked decline in serum concentrations of adrenal C19 sex steroid precursors and conjugated androgen metabolites during aging. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1997; 82: 2396–2402.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Guay AT et al. Androgens in healthy premenopausal women with and without sexual dysfunction: A. Androgen levels in women aged 20 to 49 years with no complaints of sexual dysfunction. Int J Imp Res, in press.

  7. Quirk FH et al. Development of sexual function questionnaire for clinical trials of female sexual dysfunction. J Women Health Gender-based Med 2002; 11: 277–289.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Vermeulen A . The hormonal activity of the postmenopausal ovary. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1976; 42: 247–253.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Vierhapper H, Nowotny P, Waldhausl W . Determination of testosterone production rates in men and women using stable isotope/dilution and mass spectrometry. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1997; 82: 1492–1496.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Massafra C et al. Androgens and osteocalcin during the menstrual cycle. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1999; 84: 971–974.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Miller KK et al. Androgen deficiency in women with hypopiytuitarism. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2001; 86: 561–567.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Mushayandebvu T et al. Evidence for diminished midcycle ovarian androgen production in older reproductive aged women. Fert Ster 1996; 65: 721–723.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Maccario M et al. Relationships between dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate and anthropometric, metabolic and hormonal variables in a large cohort of obese women. Clin Endocrinol 1999; 50: 595–600.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Sulcova J, Hill M, Hampl R, Starka L . Age and sex related differences in serum levels of unconjugated dehydroepiandrosterone and its sulfate in normal subjects. J Endocrinol 1997; 154: 57–62.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Orentreich N, Brind JL, Rizer RL, Vogelman JH . Age changes and sex differences in serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate concentrations throughout adulthood. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1984; 59: 551–555.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Lasley BL et al. The relationship of circulating dehydroepiandrosterone, testosterone, and estradiol to stages of the menopausal transition and ethnicity. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2002; 87: 3760–3767.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Zumoff B, Strain GW, Miller LK, Rosner W . Twenty-four-hour mean plasma testosterone concentration declines with age in normal premenopausal women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1995; 80: 1429–1430.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Palmert MR et al. The longitudinal study of adrenal maturation during gonadal suppression: evidence that adrenarche is a gradual process. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2001; 86: 4536–4542.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Riepe FG, Mahler P, Sippel WG, Partsch CJ . Longitudinal study of plasma pregnenolone and 17-hydroxypregnenolone in full-term and preterm neonates at birth and during the early neonatal period. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2002; 87: 4301–4306.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Arvat E et al. Stimulatory effect of adrenocorticotropin on cortisol, aldosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone secretion in normal humans: dose response study. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2000; 85: 3141–3146.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Goldstat R et al. Transdermal testosterone therapy improves well-being, mood and sexual function in premenopausal women. Menopause 2003; 10: 390–398.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Bancroft J, Loftus J, Long JS . Distress about sex: A national survey of women in heterosexual relationships. Arch Sex Behav 2003; 32: 193–208.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Rosen RC, Laumann EO . The prevalence of sexual problems in women: how valid are comparisons across studies? Commentary on Bancroft, Loftus, and Long's (2003) ‘Distress about sex: a National Survey of women in heterosexual relationships’. Arch Sex Behav 2003; 32: 209–211.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Posten HO . Small sample power of the Wilcoxon test over the Pearson system, and comparison with the t-test. J Stat Comput Simulat 1983; 16: 1–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Posten HO . Robustness of the two-sample t-test under violations of the assumption of homogeneity assumption Part II. J Comput Simul 1992; 8: 2169–2184.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by a private donation from the Ellithorpe family.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Sexual Function, Lahey Clinic, Peabody, USA

    A Guay & J Jacobson

  2. Institute for Sexual Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    R Munarriz, A Traish & L Talakoub

  3. Central Research, Pfizer Ltd., Sandwich, UK

    F Quirk

  4. Steroid Research Laboratory, Beth Israel-Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    I Goldstein & R Spark

Authors
  1. A Guay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J Jacobson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. R Munarriz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. A Traish
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. L Talakoub
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. F Quirk
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. I Goldstein
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. R Spark
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A Guay.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Guay, A., Jacobson, J., Munarriz, R. et al. Serum androgen levels in healthy premenopausal women with and without sexual dysfunction: Part B: Reduced serum androgen levels in healthy premenopausal women with complaints of sexual dysfunction. Int J Impot Res 16, 121–129 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijir.3901176

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijir.3901176

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links