U.S. regulators to examine testosterone therapy as use by menopausal women rises

U.S. health regulators will review the scientific ​evidence on testosterone use in menopausal women on Thursday, including its benefits, risks, ⁠dosing and role in female health, as well as perspectives from doctors and patients.

The public meeting, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said could help guide future research and drug development, comes as a growing number ‌of women are turning to testosterone to manage menopause symptoms.

There is no FDA-approved testosterone therapy for women, despite years of off-label use to treat low sexual desire, ‌known as hypoactive sexual desire disorder, or HSDD.

Last year, the FDA removed the boxed warning ‌about ⁠increased cardiovascular risk from testosterone products for men after reviewing post-marketing studies, though the ⁠products still carry warnings about increased blood pressure.