Researchers seek women with premature ovarian failure for testosterone replace...( Researchers at the National Insti...),Health

Researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) are recruiting women who have premature ovarian failure--formerly known as premature menopause--to determine if restoring testosterone will help prevent osteoporosis.

According to Lawrence M. Nelson, M.D., head of NICHD's Unit on Gynecologic Endocrinology, the women will receive testosterone in addition to the combination of replacement hormones (estrogen and progestin) prescribed for women with premature ovarian failure. The testosterone will be delivered through a patch worn on the skin.

"Many women who experience premature ovarian failure don't realize how important it is to replace the hormones that the ovary no longer provides," Dr. Nelson said. "We're testing a new method to improve replacing these ovarian hormones."

Normally, the ovaries produce both estrogen and testosterone, Dr Nelson explained. Some young women become deficient in these hormones because their ovaries, for unknown reasons, stop working prematurely. When this happens before age 40, the condition is known as premature ovarian failure. Testosterone is believed to be important for a woman's health but is not typically replaced in women who have low levels of this hormone. Many experts believe that testosterone plays a key role in maintaining a woman's sexual desire and other aspects of sexual function, and may contribute to her bone and muscle mass, strength, energy level, and a positive sense of well being. Testosterone may also benefit some aspects of memory.

"We know that women with premature ovarian failure as a group have decreased testosterone levels," says Sophia Kalantaridou, M.D., Ph.D., the study's lead investigator. "This study is primarily designed to determine if returning their testosterone levels to normal through the use of this testosterone skin patch will help them better maintain bone density." The research is being conducted by the Gynecologic Endocrinology Un
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Contact: Bob Bock
rb96a@nih.gov
301-496-5133
NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
15-Feb-2001