Holistic Wisdom Corporation

Low DHEA, Not Testosterone
May Contribute To Low Libido In Women

Doctors have long blamed low sex drive in women on dwindling testosterone levels and many females are being encouraged to top up their testosterone with pills, patches, creams and gels designed for, and officially approved only for use in, men.

But Australian researchers who examined 1,423 women, aged 18 to 75, found low levels of DHEA, a hormone produced by the adrenal gland, is significantly associated with desire and arousal problems in women under 45. Low testosterone, on the other hand, "bears no relationship to low libido" in women in this age group.

"The findings from this study are absolutely fundamental to developing a sound clinical approach to the assessment of women presenting with low libido," says Dr. Susan Davis, director of research at the Australian-based Jean Hailes Foundation, a woman's health organization.

DHEA supplements are available over-the-counter in pharmacies, health food stores and supermarkets across the U.S. No DHEA products have been approved in Canada, but the hormone can be obtained by doctors under Health Canada's special access program.

Some doctors now routinely recommend women experiencing sexual problems have their blood testosterone checked. The assumption has been that, what works in men works in women. "Men have more testosterone and men tend to have higher libidos than women," Davis said in an interview.

Men with low testosterone, on the other hand, lose their libido and "erectile capacity," she says. "So a lot of what has been considered normal or abnormal for women is really an extrapolation from men." Her team randomly recruited women by phone by using the Australian electoral roll. They found no differences in testosterone levels between women who reported low sex-drive, and those who did not. But women who complained of waning libido were up to four times more likely than other women to have low DHEA levels. Several groups, including consumer product giant Procter & Gamble, are testing a transdermal testosterone patch designed specifically for women. But Davis cautions that a woman shouldn't put on a skin patch or other testosterone therapy based purely on a low testosterone score.

But low libido in a woman may have less to do with a medical problem than with her relationship, stress levels and life experiences.