A press release from The Menopause Society indicates that testosterone therapy may be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in postmenopausal women. The findings, which will be presented at the 2026 Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society in San Diego, suggest an eight-fold difference in CVD risk between women who take testosterone and those who do not.
Scientists have noted that this is an interesting finding and a "potentially important" safety signal that warrants further investigation. However, they also stress that the information comes from a press release, not a peer-reviewed study, meaning full details are not yet available for comprehensive assessment.
The study was observational, comparing women who received testosterone therapy with those who did not. While researchers attempted to account for other potential cardiovascular risk factors, experts caution that such studies cannot definitively prove cause and effect. It remains possible that an unmeasured factor, rather than testosterone use itself, could be responsible for the observed difference.