"Mulher com bigode nem o diabo pode : Um estudo sobre testosterona, sexualidade feminina e biomedicalização.

Abstract

This is a qualitative study about the production and circulation of medical knowledge on the uses of testosterone in the pharmacological handling of female sexuality in Brazil. The methodology consisted of 1) engaged observation in biomedical congresses, with a focus on gynecology events; 2) short interviews with physicians who took part in the congresses (structured script) and 3) semi-structured interviews with physicians who prescribed testosterone to 'increase sexual desire' or 'libido' in women. The theoretical perspective was based upon social studies of biomedicine, with emphasis on the theory of biomedicalization; on literature about gender and science; and on sociotechnical approaches of knowledge production. The aim was to analyze the concepts of desire, sexuality, gender, hormones and health that permeate medical knowledge about the use of testosterone in women. Furthermore, the congresses were analyzed under the premise that capital, services, technology and biomedical knowledge are increasingly entangled and co-constituted in contemporary biopolitics. This research sheds light on the importance of knowledge production networks in the configuration of biotechnology and its uses. What appears to be a single 'object' - the treatment of sexual issues with testosterone - emerges in different ways depending on the context in which it is approached. The conclusion points to the necessity of a reflection about the logics of gender in the use of medical technology focused on sexuality, with special attention to the dichotomies that are naturalized or provoked by the expertise and practices in biomedicine.