Table 3.

Effect of androgen nterventions on experimental pain sensitivity.

Study	Sample	Study design	Hormone intervention and/or measure	Pain measure(s)	Results	Comments
Basaria et al. 201511	Men with chronic noncancer pain with opioid-induced androgen deficiency 36 in the testosterone group (age 48 ± 9) 29 in the placebo group (age 50 ± 6)	Randomized, double-blind, parallel placebo-controlled trial	5 g of a transdermal testosterone gel or placebo gel, applied once daily for 3 mo	Changes in pressure pain thresholds (trapezius, thumb), cold pain tolerance, pain ratings to cold and mechanical pinprick pain before vs after the intervention	The testosterone group had an increase in pressure pain threshold at the thumb and a reduction in mechanical pain ratings compared with the placebo group (antinociceptive) No differences in cold pain tolerance and ratings and pressure pain thresholds at the trapezius	Brief Pain Inventory was also assessed, but no differences were found between the testosterone and placebo groups
Gagliano-Juca et al., 201827	Men with prostate cancer and with no chronic pain 37 men in the androgen deprivation therapy group (age 67 ± 8) 40 men in the nonandrogen deprivation therapy group had prostatectomy and/or radiation therapy at least 6 months before enrollment and were in remission (66 ± 7)	Prospective observational cohort study	Androgen deprivation therapy was GnRH agonist (22.5 mg of leuprolide acetate) every 3 months for at least 6 months and androgen receptor antagonist (bicalutamide) during the first month	Pressure pain thresholds, pain ratings of pressure and cold pain, mechanical temporal summation, conditioned pain modulation tested at baseline, 6 wk, 3 mo, and 6 mo	No differences between groups	Changes in Brief Pain Inventory scores did not differ between the 2 groups
Glintborg et al., 202029	Men with total testosterone <12 nmol/L and treated with opioids for nonmalignant pain disease 20 in the testosterone group (age 54) 21 in the placebo group (age 55)	Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial	Testosterone undecanoate, 1000 mg or placebo injections given at the time of randomization, and at 6 and 18 wk Total and bioavailable testosterone (collected in the morning, analyzed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry)	Pressure pain thresholds and tolerance, pressure temporal summation, conditioned pain modulation, heat and cold pain thresholds, assessed at baseline and after 6 mo	Changes in experimental pain sensitivity were not different between testosterone and placebo groups Higher changes in total and bio testosterone were associated with larger reductions in peak pain intensity in the testosterone group (antinociceptive)	Testosterone treatment did not change pain ratings of clinical pain or bodily pain (SF-36 except for the SF-36 physical component score)
Zhuo et al., 202385	29 healthy men (age ± SE 20.53 ± 0.42)	Randomizer, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover	Single dose of 150 mg testosterone gel or placebo gel	Pain intensity and unpleasantness ratings to electrocutaneous stimuli of PAIN2 (nonpainful but a clearly detectable sensation) and PAIN6 intensity (painful but tolerable sensation)	Higher pain intensity and unpleasantness ratings in the testosterone session than in the placebo session (pronociceptive)