Associations between serum testosterone levels and overactive bladder in women: a cross-sectional research of NHANES 2011 to 2016.

PURPOSE: Androgen receptors are expressed in the pelvic floor and lower urinary tract. However, the association between serum testosterone and overactive bladder (OAB) in women remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate their association in a nationally representative population.

METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we collected data on female participants older than 20 years with serum total testosterone measurements and OAB questionnaires from the 2011-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Survey-weighted logistic regression models were used to analyze the relationship between testosterone and OAB in women.

RESULTS: Data on 4991 women was analyzed in this study, of whom 25.9% had OAB symptoms. Women with lower serum testosterone had an increased frequency of urge urinary incontinence and nocturia compared to participants with enough testosterone. The multivariate logistic models showed that those women with a testosterone level less than 18.5 ng/dL had significantly higher odds of OAB compared to those with a testosterone level greater than 18.5 ng/dL [OR 95% CI = 1.271 (1.073-1.505), P = 0.0076]. Separate interaction analyses revealed no significant effect of age, BMI, diabetes, education, alcohol use and menopause on the association between serum testosterone and OAB. Sensitivity analyses demonstrated that additional variables (depression, stroke and stress urinary incontinence) had no significant effect on this relationship.

CONCLUSIONS: Low serum testosterone is associated with an increased likelihood of OAB in women. This supports the potential therapeutic role of testosterone supplementation in women with OAB. Given the direct and indirect effects of testosterone on the pelvic floor and lower urinary tract, a potential mechanism for this relationship can be further explored in translational studies.