What happens to our hormones as we age?

The National Institutes of Aging, a division of the NIH determined that one of the main causes of developing diseases seen in aging, like hardening of the arteries, heart attacks, strokes, cancers, and dementia, is due to a decline in the amount of our hormones. Estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, thyroid and hGH (growth hormone) start dropping after age 23!

In fact, by the time we reach age 50, most of these hormones have dropped by 50% in both men and women! A few of the many functions hormones perform include: strengthening the heart, maintaining brain function, especially memory and mood, controlling metabolism and healthy weight, strengthening and building bones.

Fortunately, all of these aging hormones can be measured accurately and deficient levels can be boosted to healthier levels through the use of bio-identical hormone therapy.

What hormones are the best to take for menopausal HRT?

My Own MENOPAUSE HORMONE STORY
About seven years ago, I started waking up at 2 a.m. every morning in a soggy pile of bed sheets-- and I realized that a new but very annoying "hormone alarm clock" had gone off. Menopause crept in quietly at first...during the night...but then starting stealing parts of my day,too. So after treating thousands of women for menopause for over 20 years, it was finally my own turn to decide about taking estrogen for my HRT (hormone replacement therapy.)

And now, here's the thing...when I was trying to decide which hormones to take...I reviewed the risks and benefits and...suddenly realized that there were NO current brands of hormones available that I felt comfortable using for myself.

Let me explain why not...
In my experience, the most popular estrogen prescribed in the U.S., Premarin, is also the most fattening estrogen. (I don't know too many women who would accept getting fat as an acceptable side effect) The brand, PremPro, the second most popularly prescribed HRT in the U.S., is a single pill made of half Premarin (the horse urine estrogen part) and half Provera (a synthetic progesterone). Depression is a common side effect of Provera. So is it any wonder then why so many menopausal women on HRT in the U.S. have consistently complained about getting fatter and more depressed in menopause while on HRT?

It just so happened that about a year into my own menopause (and countless sleepless nights) a physician friend of mine mentioned a new kind of HRT that he recently heard about at a medical meeting. This was the first time I had ever heard about the "bio-identical" hormones.

The terms "bio-identical hormones" simply mean that these types of hormones are chemically identical to those made by the human body. This distiguishes them from those derived from animal sources, like Premarin, which comes from horses. In fact, the word "Premarin" comes from its source PREgnant MARes UrINe (PRE-MAR-IN). Great marketing, don't you think!

Premarin was the first prescription estrogen available in the U.S. and has been around since the 1960's. Over the years, Premarin sales climbed to a whopping 3 BILLION DOLLARS a year! That's a lot of women swallowing horse urine tablets. Now if that doesn't turn you off, let me tell you about the Women's Health Inititiative (WHI) study done about 5 years ago. The unexpected negative results of this government sponsored study put the big kabosh on the sales of Premarin and its cohort in crime, PremPro. Seems that taking Premarin/PremPro were associated with higher occurrences of breast cancer, heart attacks, strokes and dementia (Alzheimer's Disease). Yikes. Understandably, Premarin and PremPro sales plummetted.

BUT MENOPAUSE CONTINUED!!!
So now what were menopausal women supposed to do with their severe symptoms? Doctors were confused. I know that among many of my own medical colleagues, when it came time to offer them hormones, they threw up their hands and laid the whole decision on the patient, herself. Frankly, I think most doctors just wanted to wash their hands of the whole HRT controversy thing -- with medical lawsuits being what they are when breast cancer occurs.

Despite these WHI findings and all of the medical confusion, guess what two brands are now prescribed the most ?
You guessed it! Premarin and PremPro... I'm horrified...and so should you be. (I can't believe doctors are still prescribing these!)
I would be concerned about your doctor's choice for you if s/he hands you a prescription for Premarin or PremPro. You might even think about getting another opinion from a doctor who is a little bit more up (beyond the 1970's) on the latest and best in menopause treatment.

But I am happy to report (and you better believe I'm happy about it) a much better alternative exists for us...the bio-identical hormones for menopause management. Not only for estrogen, but for progesterone and testosterone -- all of the ovarian hormones that become deficient in menopause.

Since it really is up to you now...Keep on reading all you can about HRT and I'll continue to reveal more Hormone Secrets. I thank you for sharing and would greatly appreciate your own comments about your hormone experiences.