Testosterone is a vital hormone in both men and women.
Androgens levels in both men and women fall with age and fall further and
more quickly in the presence of many chronic diseases.
This age-related decline in androgen levels is associated with reduced
skeletal muscle mass and strength, declining physical function and general
wellbeing and a falling libido.
The proportion of elderly and especially the very elderly in our
population continues to increase.
Androgen therapy in both men and women has been shown to increase muscle
mass, muscle strength, bone mineral density, general sense of wellbeing and
libido.
Therapeutic strategies that are intended to prevent or even reverse
age-related decline in physical function need to be seriously considered by
the medical community.
In order to do this we need to try and overcome the stigma that has
tainted the medical use of androgens that is largely the result of the abuse
of such drugs by young healthy athletes and body-builders.