Yale: estrogen patches boost menopausal woman’s sex drive

Estrogen replacement patches do wonders to preserve a woman’s sex drive through menopause – but pills are as useless as a placebo, a new study claims. 

Research by Yale University has shown the patches were far more effective than pills for boosting patients’ desire, arousal, and capacity to orgasm.

In particular, they were most effective at increasing lubrication and decreasing pain. 

The findings are a major endorsement for the patches, which are also touted as having milder side effects compared to pills, which can cause headaches and painfully swollen breasts.

It comes just a week after another study found the patches carry a lower stroke risk for women compared to hormone replacement pills.  

Libido booster: Research by Yale University has shown the patches were far more effective than pills for boosting patients’ desire, arousal, and capacity to orgasm (file image)

HRT, or hormone replacement therapy, is a treatment used to ease symptoms of the menopause, including sleep problems, weight gain, mood swings and hot flushes.

It works by topping up or replacing low levels of the female sex hormone estrogen, and sometimes progesterone.

Low estrogen levels can lead to a number of physical and emotional symptoms, estimated to affect eight out of 10 women and can last on average for seven years, with one in three women experiencing long-term symptoms beyond that.

HRT may also protect against the development of osteoporosis and heart disease.

For many years, it was seen as a wonder drug for women and was taken by millions. But uptake declined dramatically after a major 2002 study suggested links with increased risk of breast cancer and stroke.

In recent years there has been a drive to encourage more women to accept treatment after subsequent studies suggested many were suffering debilitating menopause symptoms but were too afraid to take HRT.

Last week, a study in the journal Stroke found the skin patch has a lower stroke risk for women compared to taking oral medication.

Now, Yale’s research presents another endorsement for the stick-on method. 

The new study, published by JAMA Internal Medicine, found estrogen therapy delivered through the skin modestly improved sexual function in early postmenopausal women. 

The study involved 670 women, aged between 42 and 58. They were all within three years of their last menstrual period.

A questionnaire was used to assess and score aspects of sexual function and experience. It covered desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction and pain. 

Scores below a certain threshold were characterized as low sexual function rather than sexual dysfunction because distress associated with sexual symptoms was not evaluated. 

Ultimately, they found the skin patch treatment was associated with moderate improvement in the overall sexual function score across all time points compared with placebo.

There was not a significant difference in overall sexual function score with oral estrogen treatment compared with placebo.

There was no difference in overall sexual function score between the oral and transdermal estrogen therapy on average across four years.

The skin patch was most effective at increasing the average lubrication and decreasing pain.

The proportion of women with low sexual function was lower after using skin patches compared with placebo.

But women who used HRT pills saw no significant reduction in the odds of low sexual function. 

The study has limitations – primarily that the trial’s participants were predominantly white women with a higher educational background than the general population. 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk