Libido
Medical Studies on DHEA – Libido
Along with estrogen and testosterone, DHEA also plays an important, if not fundamental, role in sexual arousal. This is because this hormonal trio ensures that certain neuronal circuits respond to internal and external stimuli.
Loss of Libido
If a hormonal deficiency, particularly of DHEA, exists, the deficit is associated with significantly reduced sexual activity. Specifically, lower levels of DHEA have been observed in studies of women with Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD), a loss of female libido. A recent study indicated that this deficiency in DHEA is associated with dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which regulates mood, emotions and stress, among other things. Furthermore, any increase in the cortisol-DHEA ratio has been shown to adversely affect desire, whether it occurs in women or men.
DHEA Increases Sexual Activity
Several studies have shown that supplementation with DHEA increases sexual activity – both before and after menopause. The women participating in one study reported a significant improvement in desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm and sexual satisfaction. Similar positive effects have been cited in men with a DHEA and/or partial testosterone deficiency after physiological DHEA supplementation.
Medical Studies on DHEA – Libido
Sexual dysfunctions in women: are androgens at fault?
A critique of the literature that androgen deficit underlies women's sexual dysfunctions is provided.
Associations between androgens and sexual function in premenopausal women: a cross-sectional study
Although clinicians often measure the serum concentration of androgens in premenopausal women presenting with sexual dysfunction, with some women given testosterone or dehydroepiandrosterone as treatment if their concentrations are low, whether androgens are determinants of sexual function in women of reproductive age is uncertain. We aimed to clarify the associations between androgens and sexual function in a community-based sample of non-health-care-seeking women.
An overview of dehydroepiandrosterone (EM-760) as a treatment option for genitourinary syndrome of menopause
Dyspareunia caused by vulvovaginal atrophy is a primary symptom of genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), a chronic, progressive medical condition that results from estrogen and androgen deficiency at menopause.
Androgen Therapy in Women
Androgens are believed to have an important biologic role in women, particularly in regulation of libido and sexual arousal, although much about their function on other systems in women is unknown.
Supplementation of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in pre- and postmenopausal women – position statement of expert panel of Polish Menopause and Andropause Society
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) concentration decreases with age, therefore, DHEA has been considered a hormone that reduces the symptoms associated with aging, so the usefulness of DHEA in premenopausal and postmenopausal women, and the options of hormone therapy have received a large amount of attention.
Does type of menopause affect the sex lives of women?
The aim of this study was to investigate factors affecting the sex lives of middle-aged women, and whether surgical menopause affects sexual function differently from natural menopause, by comparing effects on sexual performance of women with similar demographic features.
Dehydroepiandrosterone and cortisol as markers of HPA axis dysregulation in women with low sexual desire
Previous research has found lower serum levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) or its sulfated form, DHEA-S, in women diagnosed with Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD). Given that DHEA and DHEA-S have multiple direct actions on the brain as well as anti-glucocorticoid properties, it is possible that lower levels of DHEA directly impact women's sexual functioning.
Effects of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) supplementation on sexual function in premenopausal infertile women
To investigate the effects of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) supplementation on female sexual function in premenopausal infertile women of advanced ages.