Over 50? Suffering from anxiety, poor muscle mass and low sex drive?
Estrogen replacement was the go-to for menopausal women in the 1990′s. Many women tried it, and many women liked it. They found it a great panacea for a multitude of discomforts, including hot flashes, bone density issues, dry skin, thinning hair. In fact, it relieved just about all the stuff about menopause that doctors called ‘normal’.
The key words here are ‘just about’.
The estrogenic hormones are uniquely responsible for the growth and development of female sexual characteristics and reproduction in both humans and animals. Overall, estrogen is produced in the ovaries, adrenal glands and fat tissues.
This is why fatter women often have an easier, smoother menopausal transition. So if you’re fatter, you’ve got it goin’ on, there.
Estrogen is a hormone of many facets, granting a complex cornucopia of effects for the human body. In addition to regulating the menstrual cycle, estrogen affects the reproductive tract, the urinary tract, the heart and blood vessels, bones, breasts, skin, hair, mucous membranes, pelvic muscles, and the brain.
And the brain! Imagine that. We have all moved on from the concept that men and women think differently because they are raised in a sexist society, right? Estrogen has profound effects on the brain and its development, resulting in what we recognize as feminine ways of thinking and acting.
Hormonal deficiencies in women cause age-related brain disfunction.
Yes, one controllable factor contributing to dementia often emerges in women’s studies: loss of hormonal influence on the brain, especially early menopause.
I will raise my hand here! I can relate!
My menopause began at 40, with 16 (count them!) miserable hot flashes a day AND noticeable memory issues. For instance, I cruised to the store for butter and came home with multiple foodstuffs – but forgot the butter. Oh, and it happened often.
Was this cause for alarm? Come on! Everybody forgets items from the store. At least I wasn’t stashing my keys in the fridge.
Anxiety problems?
it has clearly been shown, and recently reviewed, that women show higher anxiety in comparison to men. From all behavioral parameters, the anxiety seems to be most sensitive to testosterone.
When we think about the powers of testosterone, we usually do not consider mental processes. However, research suggests that testosterone levels may affect men’s cognitive performance, reports the January 2008 issue of Harvard Men’s Health Watch.
Why would this not apply to women?
It does! A common symptom of low testosterone in women are sudden bouts of anxiety and the ‘sense of impending doom’, which can escalate to panic attacks. This is because, as mentioned earlier, testosterone plays a significant role in mood regulation.
Low testosterone in women is a real condition that can be just as physically debilitating as in men. While not often publicized, it is far more common than you probably expect.
While hormonal flux in females (menstrual periods, pregnancy and menopause) appears to increase the likelihood of experiencing mood disturbances, clinical and preclinical studies in women suggest that testosterone yields protective benefits against anxiety and depression.
Administration of a low dose of testosterone in women with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder significantly improved ratings of depression, compared to placebo-treated subjects.
Another Interesting twist!
An interesting twist to all this is that many women who have utilized estrogen-replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms still feel, with all the benefits aforementioned, an important lack. These women would rather crochet an afghan than jump into the sheets with their man! What’s up with that?!
The answer is simple. Testosterone is responsible for sexual desire, not estrogen. Estrogen just smooths the way, you could say. Women’s Health reports:
‘It may surprise you to know that men don’t have a monopoly on testosterone. Testosterone belongs to a class of male hormones called androgens. But women also produce testosterone.
The ovaries produce both testosterone and estrogen. Relatively small quantities of testosterone are released into your bloodstream by the ovaries and adrenal glands. In addition to being produced by the ovaries, estrogen is also produced by the body’s fat tissue. These sex hormones are involved in the growth, maintenance, and repair of reproductive tissues. But that’s not all. They also influence other body tissues and bone mass.’
In fact, testosterone is the reason that, not only are young women sexy, but they are often firm and muscular, and their bone structure is erect and strong.
This said, there are strong implications in testosterone replacement for the well-being of post-menopausal women. Magaziner Center for Wellness posits thus:
“Aging is often accompanied by a decrease in free testosterone levels, a concomitant reduction in muscle mass and an increase in fat mass. Furthermore, numerous studies showed that total serum testosterone levels were inversely related to the atherosclerosis disease incidence in postmenopausal women. New therapeutic targets may, therefore, arise understanding how androgen could influence the fat distribution, the metabolic disease onset, the vascular reactivity and cardiovascular risk, in (men and women).”
The decrease in free testosterone levels becomes obvious with the depleted muscle mass, fat bodies and low sexual desire that a lot of us older women simply accept as par for the course!
The words ‘inversely related’ just mean that, with menopause and its accompanying fat, low muscle mass and nonexistent sexual desire, we can add atherosclerosis to the mix!
In fact, here you have the findings, brought to you by the same Magaziner Center for Wellness:
“ In our study, researchers sought to determine the dose-dependent effects of testosterone on sexual function, body composition, muscle performance and physical function in women with low testosterone levels who had undergone hysterectomy with or without oophorectomy. They studied 71 women over the course of 24 weeks.
Participants were randomly assigned either to placebo or one of four testosterone doses given weekly. They found that the higher dose, 25mg, of testosterone tested in this trial after 24 weeks was associated with gains in sexual function, muscle mass and measures of physical performance.
If this be the case, supplementation of estrogen for women, with the addition of trace testosterone, might be of great value.
This is important research, and, of course, the pros and cons of hormonal replacement for men and women need to be seriously considered. However, for many older adults, hormonal replacement might be the key to a healthier life and mental outlook.