The impact of long-term testosterone replacement therapy on lipid and lipoprotein profiles in women

Effects of treatment with testosterone alone or in combination with estrogen on insulin sensitivity in postmenopausal women

“…Decreased levels of HDL-cholesterol have been reported following testosterone administration in female to male transsexuals (45). For the combined testosteroneϩestrogen treatment, our results are in agreement with those of Flöter and co-workers (23), except that they also observed a significant decrease in HDL-cholesterol, as did Watts and coworkers who used a similar treatment regimen (10).…”

Hormone Therapy in Adults: Suggested Revisions to the Sixth Version of theStandards of Care

“…Two prospective studies indicate a decrease in HDL and triglycerides, with no change in LDL, among FtM patients on testosterone therapy (Berra et al, 2006;Elbers et al, 2003), while another study demonstrated an increase in LDL and a decrease in HDL (Goh, Loke, & Ratnam, 1995). Retrospective studies in the transgender population show mixed changes in LDL and decreases in HDL cholesterol (Asscheman et al, 1994;Futterweit, 1998;McCredie et al, 1998).…”

Safety of testosterone treatment in postmenopausal women

“…Female-to-male transsexuals using pharmacologic doses of T, which increases the serum T into the mid-to-high normal range for males, experience increased total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, apolipoprotein-B, and triglycerides and decreased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol with pharmacological quantities of IM T, which increase the serum T into the high normal range for males (58,80). In the trials of postmenopausal women receiving estrogen and oral MT, the total cholesterol decreased by 6%-17%; HDL was reduced as much as 26%; and the changes in LDL were variable, going from a 7% increase to a 19.3% decrease.…”