Women MPs and testosterone

by CHRISTIAN GYSIN, Daily Mail

Female politicians are using testosterone implants to match their male counterparts, a leading gynaecologist claimed yesterday.

Harley Street doctor Malcolm Whitehead said he had prescribed the hormone for a number of women who wanted to 'beef up' their image in the macho world of politics.

'I have prescribed testosterone implants for female politicians in Westminster who want to compete better with their male colleagues in committee meetings and parliamentary debates,' he said. 'They claim the hormone boosts theirassertiveness and makes them feel more powerful.'

His extraordinary claim - published in the New Statesman magazine - was greeted with disbelief in Westminster yesterday.

Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt said: 'MPs are far more likely to succeed if they use rational arguments rather than hormonal-fuelled rhetoric.'

Margaret Beckett, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary, also denied using the implants, saying: 'Women don't have to be like men to be successful.'

Conservative Julie Kirkbride added: 'I can't believe Margaret Thatcher would have resorted to this type of thing, and she got to the top in a man's world.'

But Mr Whitehead, who runs a trust offering advice to menopausal women, maintained he is increasingly being approached by women MPs wanting testosterone implants.

The hormone - which is said to fuel a man's sex drive - is produced in small amounts by women. However, as they age those levels can dip, making them lose interest in sex and, in some cases, affecting their confidence.

Testosterone implants are meant to solve that problem.

The treatment involves embedding a small pellet under the skin which releases a fixed testosterone dose into the bloodstream over a six-month period. Critics claim it is dangerous.

But Mr Whitehead dismissed that suggestion, saying: 'As long as they stay within the normal hormonal range, there is nothing to worry about. All the talk of deepening voices and beard growth is complete nonsense.' Labour's Bridget Prentice - who was recently promoted to the whip's office - yesterday said she had not heard of colleagues using the implants. 'Women are more than able to compete without taking steps like this,' she added.

But other MPs contacted by the Daily Mail were less forthcoming. A spokesman for Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell would only say: 'There is absolutely no comment.'

A spokesman for Hilary Armstrong, the Chief Whip said: 'We don't do surveys or answer such personal questions.'

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