From Medical News Today:

An Australian led study found that using testosterone patches helped to increase sex drive in post-menopausal women with low sex drive who were not on hormone replacement therapies.

The research was led by principal investigator Susan Davis who is Professor of Women's Health in the Department of Medicine at Monash University, Victoria, and published in the 6th November issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The study was supported by Procter and Gamble Pharmaceuticals USA.

"What we have found is that treatment with a patch delivering 300 micrograms (ug) of testosterone each day results in meaningful improvement in sexual function in postmenopausal women with low libido who are using no other hormone therapy," said Davis .

The study is thought to be the first in the world to show that administering testosterone on its own through a skin patch can significantly increase the sexual wellbeing of women who seek medical help for loss of sexual desire following the menopause, something that is not uncommon said Davis.

Davis and colleagues concluded that: "In postmenopausal women not receiving estrogen therapy, treatment with a patch delivering 300 µg of testosterone per day resulted in a modest but meaningful improvement in sexual function."

However, they also noted that: "The long-term effects of testosterone, including effects on the breast, remain uncertain."

In an accompanying editorial, Dr Julia R Heiman, director of the Kinsey Institute for Sex, Gender and Reproduction, urged caution about adminstering testosterone to address sexual desire problems in women. As the researchers themselves noted, the link with breast cancer is not clear, she wrote, and we don't understand enough to be able to predict which patients are more likely to have negative reactions.

Davis said in a press statement that research on the safety issues was under way, involving more women over a longer period.

And from The Baltimore Sun, Trial tests gel that boosts menopausal women's libido

Doctors in Hampton Roads, Va., have begun a clinical trial on a gel they hope can help menopausal women who have lost interest in sex. LibiGel is geared toward women with low libidos. Patients apply the gel once a day to their arm.

While a wide range of disorders can lead to loss of libido, a low level of testosterone often is to blame. Since the ovaries produce the hormone, a woman's interest in sex may drop after menopause.

Early studies showed LibiGel raised blood testosterone levels to normal levels in women who had gone through surgical menopause. Participants reported no serious side effects.

The new study will expand the number of patients and test the gel's safety in women with certain risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Patients will be randomly assigned to get the gel or a placebo.