Androgen therapy should not be prescribed for healthy women, a task force of experts says.

The group includes professionals from the Endocrine Society, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the European Society of Endocrinology, and the International Menopause Society.

The recommendation updates guidelines issued in 2006 and is based on a review of published data, meta-analyses, and trials.

“We continue to recommend against making a diagnosis of androgen deficiency syndrome in healthy women because there is a lack of a well-defined syndrome, and data correlating androgen levels with specific signs or symptoms are unavailable,” the panel wrote.

One exception may be hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD). Past research has found that a  three- to six-month course of androgen therapy might benefit women with HSDD. However, careful monitoring of these patients is important.

For more details on the recommendation, please click here.

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