The Impact of Testosterone Therapy on Cardiovascular Risk Among Postmenopausal Women

Abstract

Purpose To summarize the current state of knowledge surrounding the impact of testosterone therapy on cardiovascular risk factors in post-menopausal women. Methodology In this scoping review, a comprehensive search of peer-reviewed literature was conducted in adherence to a methodological framework comprised of four distinct stages: conceptualizing a comprehensive search strategy, screening relevant publications, extracting pertinent data, and organizing and synthesizing the resultant findings. The search utilized electronic databases, including MEDLINE, Embase, and Google Scholar, to ensure an exhaustive survey of the available literature. Results The database search yielded 150 articles, including systematic reviews, registered trials, and peer-reviewed studies, of which 48 duplicates were removed. Following the title/abstract screening, 36 publications were included in the full-text review. Upon completion of the full-text review, utilizing the inclusion/exclusion criteria, 29 articles were excluded, and seven remained for data extraction and qualitative synthesis. Main Conclusions Existing research provides promising insights into the benefits of low-dose testosterone therapy, typically combined with estrogen therapy. These benefits may include positive impacts on body composition, functional capacity, insulin sensitivity, inflammatory markers, and cholesterol. However, there remains a substantial lack of knowledge surrounding the effects and mechanisms behind testosterone therapy in post-menopausal women in relation to its impacts on cardiovascular risk. High-quality, evidence-based clinical intervention research is needed to investigate testosterone therapy’s potential implication on cardiovascular risk factors in post-menopausal women.