Table 2.
Meta-analysis Results
| Outcome | No. of Studies | Difference in Meansb | Lower Limit of 95% CI | Upper Limit of 95% CI | P Valuec | I2, % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sexual and psychological outcomes | ||||||
| QoL/general well-beinga | 7 | −0.19 | −0.38 | 0.00 | .054 | 0 |
| Depressed mooda | 3 | −0.30 | −0.67 | 0.06 | .107 | 55 |
| Anxiety/distressa | 3 | −0.11 | −0.40 | 0.18 | .470 | 0 |
| Libido/sexual functiona | 5 | 0.35 | −0.02 | 0.73 | .064 | 62 |
| Lipid profile and blood glucose | ||||||
| Total cholesterol, mg/dL | 8 | −6.76 | −15.27 | 1.76 | .120 | 26 |
| HDL, mg/dL | 11 | −2.36 | −4.81 | 0.08 | .058 | 11 |
| LDL, mg/dL | 11 | −2.11 | −7.35 | 3.13 | .430 | 0 |
| Triglyceride, mg/dL | 10 | −7.96 | −18.35 | 2.42 | .133 | 29 |
| Blood glucose, mg/dL | 5 | 0.01 | −0.93 | 0.95 | .978 | 0 |
| Bone health | ||||||
| Total body BMD, g/cm2 | 1 | 0.00 | −0.11 | 0.12 | .973 | NA |
| Total spine BMD, g/cm2 | 4 | 0.01 | 0.002 | 0.027 | .020 | 0 |
| Total hip BMD, g/cm2 | 7 | 0.00 | −0.00 | 0.01 | .159 | 13 |
| Body composition | ||||||
| Weight, kg | 6 | 0.41 | −0.41 | 1.23 | .328 | 0 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 5 | −0.07 | −0.71 | 0.57 | .826 | 0 |
Abbreviations: QoL, quality of life; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; NA, Not applicable (I2 is not meaningful if number of studies is less than three).
a
Results are presented as a SMD.
b
Difference in means is calculated as DHEA group minus placebo group.
c
Significance level is set at P = .015 due to multiple testing.