Testosterone insufficiency in women: fact or fiction?

Abstract.

Androgen deficiency in women is a valid diagnosis in premenopausal, as well as in postmenopausal women, under certain conditions. This diagnosis is hampered by a lack of precise definitions and sensitive assays for testosterone. Precise normal ranges for control populations are lacking, and thus many studies have used pharmacological instead of physiological levels of testosterone in treatment protocols. Despite these shortcomings, and a shortage of controlled studies, there is ample evidence that testosterone treatment has helped many women with signs and symptoms of deficiency.