CHOOSING HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY
Maintaining this delicate hormone balance is one reason to be cautious when selecting hormone replacement therapy. The goal should always be hormonal balance that is predicated on research rather than experimentation or guessing. Many therapies merely attempt to replenish estrogen and/or progesterone and testosterone, but they never achieve homeostasis.
Hormone balance is the foundation of health. Research continues to demonstrate that hormones are the key to the intricate interrelationships of the body’s systems. They play a pivotal role in our overall health.
THE DANGER OF HORMONE IMBALANCE
You can see why hormone fluctuation and depletion during perimenopause, menopause and andropause wreak havoc on the body. Research repeatedly points to the relationship between the hormone imbalance in perimenopause, menopause, and andropause and an increased risk for developing cancer, osteoporosis, stroke, thyroid malfunction and other age-related disorders.
It’s considered the norm for men and women to experience a decline in health at this stage of the aging process. Both women and men are likely to experience problems such as depression, anxiety, memory loss, sleep disturbances, libido issues and sexual dysfunction, just to name a few of the issues.
Resources
HEART DISEASE
- Testosterone Therapy and Cardiovascular Risk: Advances and Controversies
- Testosterone Replacement Therapy and Mortality in Older Men.
- Cardiovascular risk associated with testosterone-boosting medications: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Androgen therapy in men with testosterone deficiency: can testosterone reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease?
- Risk of Myocardial Infarction in Older Men Receiving Testosterone Therapy
- Normalization of testosterone level is associated with reduced incidence of myocardial infarction and mortality in men
ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
- Low Testosterone Linked to Alzheimer’s Risk
- Bioavailable testosterone predicts a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease in older men.
- Androgen Deprivation Therapy and Future Alzheimer’s Disease Risk
- Androgens in the Etiology of Alzheimer’s Disease in Aging Men and Possible Therapeutic Intervention
PROSTATE CANCER
- Low free testosterone levels predict disease reclassification in men with prostate cancer undergoing active surveillance
- Surprise: High-Dose Testosterone Therapy Helps Some Men with Advanced Prostate Cancer
- Endogenous Sex Hormones and Prostate Cancer: A Collaborative Analysis of 18 Prospective Studies
- Shifting the Paradigm of Testosterone and Prostate Cancer: The Saturation Model and the Limits of Androgen-Dependent Growth
BREAST CANCER
- Effect of Hormone Replacement Therapy on Breast Cancer Risk: Estrogen Versus Estrogen Plus Progestin
- Progestins and progesterone in hormone replacement therapy and the risk of breast cancer
- Androgens and the breast
- Unequal risks for breast cancer associated with different hormone replacement therapies: results from the E3N cohort study
- Decreased mortality in users of estrogen replacement therapy.
INFLAMMATORY MARKERS
- The relationship between testosterone and molecular markers of inflammation in older men.
- The Effect of Testosterone Replacement on Endogenous Inflammatory Cytokines and Lipid Profiles in Hypogonadal Men
Testosterone and Women
Numerous studies have sought to examine the relationship between hypogonadal symptoms and total serum testosterone levels in men in order to identify a threshold at which symptoms occur and at which treatment is beneficial. However, the search for a discrete threshold may be futile given emerging evidence. Recent studies suggest that testosterone threshold varies by symptoms and among individuals. In addition, thresholds may vary between young and old men. Therefore, initiation of treatment should rely more on symptoms and less on a discrete numerical threshold. It is suggested that because of excessive reliance on laboratory measures of androgens and undue safety concerns, many men who could benefit from symptom relief, improvement in related clinical conditions and given preventive medical benefits remain untreated.
- Evolution of testosterone treatment over 25 years: symptom responses, endocrine profiles and cardiovascular changes
- Testosterone threshold – does one size fit all?
- Commentary: Who Is a Candidate for Testosterone Therapy? A Synthesis of International Expert Opinions
- Recommendations on the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of hypogonadism in men
- Discussion of benefits of testosterone therapy and guidelines for treatment.
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