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Women with low levels of the male hormone testosterone are at greater risk of heart disease, a new study claims.

Research has found for the first time that older women with a ‘deficiency’ of the hormone after the menopause are more likely to have blocked arteries.

Testosterone is usually thought of as the male hormone, but is made in small amounts by the ovaries and is linked to women’s sex drive. Women can already get testosterone patches on prescription to help regain their sex drive when they have had an early menopause because of hysterectomy.

Levels decline naturally after the menopause, but can fall dramatically in women who have had their womb and ovaries removed through surgery, the Daily Mail reports. The research suggests that many more post-menopausal women should be prescribed testosterone patches on the NHS to protect against heart disease.

‘We are increasingly using testosterone to help women and are planning a clinical trial to look at the vascular effect,’ Dr John Stevenson, chairman of Women’s Health Concern, told the paper. (10 July 2007)