Pregnenolone for Menopause

Menopause can quite often be a very tough part of a woman's life. Menopause takes place over a period of approximately five to 15 years, during which a woman begins to produce less and less estrogen and her periods become irregular until they ultimately stop entirely. Most women enter postmenopause, the final stage of menopause, around the age of 50. By this time, a majority of women cease to have their monthly periods.

Symptoms of Menopause

• According to ProjectAware.org, there are 35 different symptoms that have been reported as signs of menopause. Some of the most common symptoms include hot flashes, depression, weight gain, headache, breast tenderness and vaginal dryness. Other signs and symptoms can include memory lapses, disorientation, osteoperosis, gun problems and anxiety.

What is Pregnenolone?

• Pregnenolone is a steroid hormone that is often produced naturally by the body as a result of the production of other steroid-type hormones such as estrogen, androgens, DHEA, mineralocorticoids and progesterone. During menopause, the female body fails to produce enough of this hormone due to the lack of production of estrogen. The lack of this hormone is what tends to cause many of the symptoms of menopause.

Use of Pregnenolone

• Pregnenolone is used to bring balance back to the hormones in some patients during menopause. This is especially the case in patients who present intense menopausal symptoms. However, pregnenolone is not a popular choice of treatment because a lot about the medication remains a mystery. More testing is needed to determine its benefits.

  Even though this is still considered an experimental drug, the American Cancer society reports that when prenenolone was administered to lab animal it had a positive effect on the treatment of some menopausal symptoms. For instance, pregnenolone can help with memory loss and depression, and can help to maintain concentration.

  However, despite the potential benefits, as of 2009 pregnenolone was an experimental replacement therapy and what may work for some individuals does not indicate that it will work for all.

Potential Side Effects

• All the side effects of long-term use for this supplement are not known because it is still experimental. However, some side effects have been identified. Some of these side effects include aggressiveness, irritability, trouble sleeping and the growth of body hair. The growth of body hair includes facial hair on women. Other potential side effects include a drop in good cholesterol, acne, arrhythmia, liver problems, hair loss and oily skin.

Effectiveness

• Again, the effectiveness of pregnenolone is not really known because it is still in the experimental stages. While the American Cancer Society indicates that it has worked well in the laboratories on animals, there is little evidence of such claims on people. More tests must be performed before the medical community will rely on this supplemental hormonal replacement therapy for any condition, including menopause.