Natural Hormone Boost for Menopause & Andropause

Menopause and andropause are hormonal conditions. A loss of estrogen in women leads to menopause. Loss of testosterone in men brings about andropause. With the discovery of the risks associated with traditional hormone replacement therapy, natural hormone boost therapy may be an alternative treatment option.

Menopause

• A woman is in menopause 12 months after her last period. Menopause is not a disease, but a natural condition that a woman goes through as she ages. In a woman's child-bearing years, estrogen is one of the hormones that trigger and maintain her menstrual cycle. As a woman progresses into menopause, her periods will eventually stop and production of estrogen will decrease.

Symptoms of Menopause

• Many women experience a variety of symptoms while going through menopause. These include irregular periods, vaginal dryness, night sweats, mood swings, inability to focus, increased facial hair, a deepening of her voice, thinning hair and a loss of breast fullness.

  A woman may experience some of these symptoms years before she actually enters menopause. Symptoms will increase as she nears the cessation of her periods and decrease as she enters full menopause. Once a woman is in menopause, the body no longer requires the level of estrogen it needed before to maintain fertility and the symptoms usually subside.

Andropause

• Testosterone is the hormone responsible for growth and sexual development in men. Andropause is characterized by a decrease of testosterone in a man's body as he ages. Andropause is not widely recognized in the medical community. Many men seek relief from natural methods or alternative medical practitioners.

Symptoms of Andropause

• Unlike women, men's decrease in hormone production is gradual, spanning many years. Symptoms include decrease in energy, decrease in sexual desire and function, changes in sleep patterns, increased body fat, loss of muscle tone and depression. These symptoms are sometimes subtle and hard to recognize as andropause.

Traditional Hormone Therapy

• Hormone therapy has been used for the relief of menopausal symptoms for many years. Estrogen and progesterone are administered together in the form of a pill, skin patch or vaginal cream. In 2002 a study by the Women's Health Initiative found that traditional hormone replacement therapy carried risks for some women. These risks include an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and strokes, blood clots, cancer and gallbladder disease.

  Hormone therapy for men has not been approved. In 2008 the National Institutes of Health concluded that andropause had not been scientifically proven.

Natural Hormone Boost Therapy

• A natural alternative to traditional hormone therapy is available for women and men. Compounded bioidentical hormone therapy uses hormones found naturally in plants. The bioidentical hormones are identical to the hormones found in the human body. Formulations for women include estrone, estradiol and estriol. Men's formulas usually include testosterone and micronized progesterone. Many formulas for men contain the growth hormone HGH. This is used in the sports industry as a muscle builder.

  Formulas are available online or at natural health food and supplement stores. Anti-aging doctors tailor formulas to specific needs of their patients by taking saliva tests of patients and then formulating the boosters to the patient's specific needs.

  While many alternative medical practitioners claim that natural hormone boosters alleviate the symptoms of menopause and andropause, the FDA has not approved bioidentical compounds for use in the United States for the relief of menopause or andropause. To date there are no comprehensive scientific studies that prove or disprove bioidentical hormone's effectiveness on menopause or andropause symptoms or risks associated with their use.