Women's sex drive treatment linked to higher rates of heart attack and stroke

The research, presented at the 2026 annual meeting of The Menopause Society in San Diego, examined more than 6,000 postmenopausal women age 45 and older, comparing those who received testosterone therapy with those who did not. Women with a history of cardiovascular disease were excluded from the study.

Among women receiving testosterone, 3.8% experienced a first-time cardiovascular event compared with 0.5% of women who were not receiving the treatment. These events included heart attack, stroke, heart failure and other cardiovascular problems, according to The Menopause Society.

Expert Analysis

Anna Cabeca, a Dallas-based board-certified OB-GYN and menopause expert, told Fox News Digital that the differences between the two groups deserve attention. "The difference between 3.8% and 0.5% is certainly significant enough to warrant attention, but we need to be careful about what these numbers actually tell us," she said.

That amounts to about 38 cardiovascular events per 1,000 women receiving testosterone compared with five per 1,000 women who were not, the doctor noted. For women considering testosterone therapy, Cabeca said doctors should evaluate the patient's overall health, including heart history, blood pressure, cholesterol, metabolic health, medications and family history.

Treatment Considerations

"Sexual health is an essential part of overall health, and women deserve to have their concerns about libido, arousal and intimacy taken seriously, particularly during and after menopause," Cabeca added. While testosterone can improve sexual desire and satisfaction in appropriately selected postmenopausal women, the possible benefits should be weighed against potential risks.

In cases when testosterone is appropriate, she favors careful dosing, monitoring and regular checks of a patient's symptoms and lab results. The researchers acknowledged important limitations to the new findings, noting the study was observational rather than a controlled trial.

Study Limitations

As an observational study, the researchers looked at outcomes among women who were already receiving testosterone rather than assigning the treatment in a controlled trial. As a result, the study can show a link between testosterone use and cardiovascular events, but cannot prove that the treatment caused them.

Women who received testosterone may also have differed from those who did not in ways that affected their heart risk, including age, blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol levels or other health factors, Cabeca said. "This is an important safety signal that deserves further investigation, not definitive evidence of causation," she added.