Testosterone Patch Boosts Female Sex Drive

A testosterone patch boosted menopausal women's sexual desire and satisfaction in a new study, the Chicago Tribune reports. The women reported a big leap in libido, and their number of satisfying sexual experiences rose from twice a month to once a week. Some suffered side effects, including facial hair growth. Three developed breast cancer during the study, but researchers are unsure whether it was related to the treatment.

The study, funded by Procter & Gamble, was one of several investigating ways to reduce women’s sexual difficulties that have sparked debate over the benefits of treatments versus the risk of side effects. "I think most women would be happy with it," said a co-author of the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine. "They wanted to return to the level of desire they had in their premenopausal years, and that's what they got." (More testosterone stories.)