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Serum androgen levels in healthy premenopausal women with and without sexual dysfunction: Part A. Serum androgen levels in women aged 20–49 years with no complaints of sexual dysfunction

International Journal of Impotence Research volume 16, pages 112–120 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

Androgen insufficiency is a recognized cause of sexual dysfunction in men and women. Age-related decrements in adrenal and gonadal androgen levels also occur naturally in both sexes. At present, it is unclear if a woman's low serum androgen level is a reflection of the expected normal age-related decline or indicative of an underlying androgen-deficient state. We studied premenopausal women with no complaints of sexual dysfunction to help define a normal female androgen profile. In all, 60 healthy, normally menstruating women, ages 20–49 y, were studied. The Abbreviated Sexual Function Questionnaire was administered along with a detailed interview. Radioimmunoassay measurements of morning serum testosterone (T), free testosterone (fT), dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEAS), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and free androgen index (FAI) were measured during days 8–15 of the menstrual cycle. In women 20–49 y old without complaints of sexual dysfunction, serum androgen levels exhibit a progressive stepwise decline. Comparing values obtained in women age 20–29 y to those obtained in women 40–49 y, specific hormone decrements were DHEAS 195.6–140.4 μg/dl, serum T 51.5–33.7 ng/dl, fT 1.51–1.03 pg/ml. SHBG did not change significantly in women in this age group. The FAI reflected the age-related decrease in female androgen levels. The framework for the development of a female androgen profile in women with no complaints of sexual dysfunction has been established, and an age-related decrease in testosterone and its adrenal precursor, DHEAS, has been demonstrated. The FAI mirrors these decreases and its usefulness in clinical practice is confirmed. A precipitous decline in all androgens occurs after the decade of the 20s, yet SHBG does not show a significant change throughout the premenopausal years.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Sexual Function, Lahey Clinic, Peabody, Massachusetts, USA

    A Guay & J Jacobson

  2. Institute for Sexual Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    R Munarriz, L Talakoub, A Traish & I Goldstein

  3. Central Research, Pfizer Ltd., Sandwich, UK

    F Quirk

  4. Steroid Research Laboratory, Beth Israel-Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    R Spark

Authors
  1. A Guay
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  2. R Munarriz
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  3. J Jacobson
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  4. L Talakoub
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  5. A Traish
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  6. F Quirk
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  7. I Goldstein
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  8. R Spark
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to A Guay.

Additional information

This research was supported by a private grant from the Ellithorpe family.

Appendices

Appendix A. Abbreviated Sexual Function Questionnaire (ASFQ)

Appendix B

Criterion for determining normal sexual function can be summarized in Table B1 for the 15-item version of the SFQ

Table 4 Table a2
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Guay, A., Munarriz, R., Jacobson, J. et al. Serum androgen levels in healthy premenopausal women with and without sexual dysfunction: Part A. Serum androgen levels in women aged 20–49 years with no complaints of sexual dysfunction. Int J Impot Res 16, 112–120 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijir.3901178

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijir.3901178

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