Study casts doubt on testosterone therapy

ROCHESTER, Minn., Jan. 9 (UPI) -- More research is needed on the safety and efficacy of testosterone treatment for sexual dysfunction, according to new U.S. research.

"There is no way for physicians to be certain when prescribing testosterone that, on average, it's doing more good than harm," said Victor Montori, a researcher at the Mayo Clinic and author of two studies appearing this week in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Attempts by endocrinologists to develop guidelines for testosterone use have failed, largely due to the lack of large-scale studies, the articles say.

Currently, sales of testosterone treatments are driven much more by manufacturers than evidence, the authors conclude.