Testosterone fails to improve type 2 diabetes sexual symptoms

Testosterone treatment for people with type 2 diabetes and mild to moderate sexual symptoms did not significantly improve those symptoms.
The research was carried out by the University of Melbourne in Australia and involved 88 obese patients with type 2 diabetes. The men were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group took intramuscular testosterone injections for 40 weeks whilst the other group took a placebo.
Participants took part in questionnaires at the start of the study and after 18 and 40 weeks. The questionnaires asked questions about sexual symptoms as well as general health to provide an aging male symptoms score.
The researchers found that whilst symptoms such as sexual desire were worse in men with depression and microvascular complications, such kidney and nerve damage, testosterone levels did not show any effects.
A number of previous studies have indicated that testosterone treatment may improve erectile function, libido and intercourse satisfaction, but those results were not reflected in the study. The researchers note that their research does not rule out testosterone therapy as having potential for improvement in such symptoms but suggests that any substantial improvements are unlikely.