Study of Testosterone and Athlete Response

Summary

Trial objectives and purpose: The primary aim is to study the effects of moderately increased testosterone concentration on aerobic performance (endurance running time to exhaustion), and secondary aims to investigate the effects on submaximal work on treadmill, anaerobic capacity, muscle strength, body composition, behaviour and well-being, blood parameters, steroid hormone profile, gynecological parameters and skeletal muscle parameters in young healthy women in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Treatment: Ten weeks of transdermal treatment with testosterone cream 10 mg daily or placebo cream in a randomized design (1:1).

Primary outcome: Aerobic performance (running time to exhaustion on treadmill)

Secondary outcomes:

1. Submaximal work on treadmill (oxygen uptake, ventilation, heart rate, blood lactate and subjective rate of exhaustion)
2. Anaerobic performance (Wingate test)
3. Muscle strength (Cybex apparatus, force transducer, counter movement jump)
4. Body composition (Dual X-ray Absorptiometry: muscle mass, fat mass, bone mass)
5. Behaviour and well-being (Quality of life, Profile of mood state, Confidence Questionnaire, Aggression Questionnaire)
6. Blood parameters (hemoglobin, hematocrit, reticulocytes, ferritin, CRP)
7. Steroid hormone profile in blood and urine
8. Gynecological evaluation (ovarian and endometrial variables on ultrasound)
9. Skeletal muscle morphology, metabolic enzymes and muscle protein synthesis

Study population: Fifty healthy menstruating women will be included in the study and randomized to treatment with testosterone or placebo. Inclusion criteria: 18-35 yrs of age; body mass index (BMI) 19-25; non-smoking; a moderate to high self-reported level of recreational physical activity; not taking hormonal contraception and willing to use highly efficient non-hormonal contraception during the study (intrauterine device, bilateral tubal occlusion, vasectomised partner, same-sex partner, or sexual abstinence); accepting to not participate in any sports competitive event during the study period plus one month. Exclusion criteria: the presence of cardiovascular, liver, biliary or renal disease; hyperlipidemia; uncontrolled high blood pressure; endocrinological disorder; oligomenorrhea (menstrual intervals of more than 6 weeks) or amenorrhea (no menstruation for at least 3 months); pregnancy; a history of thromboembolic disorder; any malignancy; and intake of hormonal contraception the last two months prior to the study.

Conditions

• Athletic Performance
• Testosterone
• Women's Health: Female Athlete/Female Athlete Triad

Interventions

DRUG

Testosterone cream 1% (Andro-Feme® )

Testosterone cream 10 mg (1 ml) daily, supplied every evening via a dose applicator to the upper outer thigh for 10 weeks.

DRUG

Placebo cream

Placebo cream (1 ml) daily, supplied every evening via a dose applicator to the upper outer thigh for 10 weeks.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences

  collaborator OTHER

• Karolinska University Hospital

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Angelica Lindén Hirschberg · Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

QUADRUPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

35 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2017-05-26

Primary Completion

2018-06-20

Completion

2018-06-20

Countries

• Sweden

Study Locations