The rationale for physiological testosterone replacement in women

Androgens have an important physiological role in women. Not only are they the precursor hormones for oestrogen production in the ovaries and extragonadal tissues, but they also appear to act directly, via androgen receptors, throughout the body. Androgen levels decline with increasing age in women, who may experience a variety of physical symptoms secondary to androgen depletion, as well as physiological changes that affect their quality of life. In this chapter, the changes in androgens as women age are reviewed, and the rationale for physiological androgen, specifically testosterone replacement, in women is addressed.