Menopause: Decline in Female Hormones 

Menopause has usually been associated with the onset of hot flashes, sweating, mood swings, depression, metabolic problems, and the risk for Alzheimer's Disease, heart attacks and bone fractures.  Additionally this hormone deficiency can result in a change in the psyche with mental fatigue, lack of focus, decreased attention span, increased irritability,  decreased ability to recall both recent and long term memory and the ability to learn new information.  A condition called the "Muscle Ache Syndrome" characterized by non-specific muscle and joint pain can develop too.

These symptoms have been primarily associated with the progressive decrease in the body's production of Estrogens and Progesterone.  What we now know is that the female body also needs those hormones that have traditionally been associated with the male; testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, DHEA and others for many of the same reasons that males do.  

The mainstay of treatment for Menopause has classically been Estrogen (Estradiol) and Progesterone until the recent scare about increased medical risks.  The study on Wyeth's product, Premarin and Progestin (both synthetic hormones), was perceived to have increased risks of cancer, heart disease, clotting, and headaches. Unfortunately, this study was flawed and the negative results inflated by the media to create a mass hysteria and paronoia about these hormone-chemicals.

More recently, there has been a redirection in medicine (at least by knowledgeable complementary and anti-aging physicians) towards the delivery of natural origin hormones for hormone replacement therapy to the female patient. These are called  Bio-Identical hormones or Bio-Equivalent hormones.

Andropause: Testosterone Deficiency 

In Dr. Eugene Shippen's book, The Testosterone Syndrome, it is made perfectly clear that the decline in testosterone levels in both males and females has a pervasive effect on our entire being, both men and females.   Symptoms relative to brain function, sexual function, general metabolic condition and musculoskeletal wellness are all inextricable linked to a healthy level of testosterone.

In Anti-Aging Medicine, testosterone deficiency is known as Andropause, the male counterpart to Menopause in females.  Just as effected women are with the decline of estrogen and progesterone, males experience a similar more surreptitious process that leads to a decline in male characteristics.  In addition to the common physical symptoms related to low testosterone such as decreased sex drive and erectile dysfunction (ED), men also may have symptoms similar to those seen during menopause in women: hot flashes, increased irritability, inability to concentrate, depression.

But this does not have to be the final word.  Advanced comprehensive laboratory evaluations can frequently determine your levels of important hormones, minerals and trace elements. A knowledgeable physician will perform testing to include both Free and Bound Testosterone, Sex Hormone Binding Globulin, DHT, DHEA, Androsteine, and Estrogen levels. Based upon the results of these tests, if hormone replacement therapy is warranted, it can consist of natural, injectable, topical or sublingual forms of testosterone.