Hormone use in menopause & male andropause : a choice for women and men / Sheldon J. Segal & Luigi Mastroianni, Jr.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Segal, Sheldon J. (Sheldon Jerome)

Contributor:

Mastroianni, Luigi.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Menopause.

Middle-aged women--Health and hygiene.

Middle-aged women.

Climacteric, Male.

Middle-aged men--Health and hygiene.

Middle-aged men.

Climacteric.

Climacteric--physiology.

Menopause--physiology.

Hormone Replacement Therapy.

Medical Subjects:

Climacteric--physiology.

Menopause--physiology.

Hormone Replacement Therapy.

Physical Description:

xx, 197 pages ; 24 cm

Other Title:

Hormone use in menopause and male andropause

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2003.

Summary:

In this timely and compelling analysis of why people go through midlife changes and how they can control the symptoms, two distinguished authorities explain how hormone therapy can help both women and men. Sheldon Segal and Luigi Mastroianni assess the conflicting results of long-term clinical studies of hormone supplementation therapy and offer a judgment that the substantial majority of women who use hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms derive valuable benefits without unacceptable risks. They also suggest that for most postmenopausal women, hormone supplementation need not continue chronically. They point out that women and men go through midlife changes together. Myths and folklore surrounding hormone therapy in menopause give the impression that women are the only ones with biological clocks. In fact, men also have them but instead of ending reproductive functions abruptly, most men gradually reduce their production of sex hormones, bringing on male andropause. Segal and Mastroianni reveal that testosterone can alleviate such symptoms of andropause as increased body fat, depletion of muscle and bone, fatigue, irritability, reduced interest in sex, and memory loss. While some endocrinologists have been prescribing testosterone for that purpose for years, the practice remains one of medicine's best-kept secrets. The authors also describe new androgenic products that have proven beneficial and explain how they can be taken safely. Rather than posing a risk to the heart, hormone therapy can actually lower cholesterol levels in men. But they warn that athletes who self-treat with androgens and other hormones are probably wasting their money and using excessive doses that endanger their health.

Contents:

Commentary: The Women's Health Initiative Clinical Study xiii

Part I Menopause

1. Why do women have menopause? 3

2. What are the signs of menopause? 9

3. What is menopausal hormone therapy? 14

4. Why should women consider hormone therapy? 20

5. Risk-benefit ratio: Making the choice 25

6. Can HT protect brain function and prevent Alzheimer's disease? 38

7. Does the approach of menopause mean the end of fertility? 44

8. Herbal products for menopause 50

9. Can phytoestrogens, antioxidants, and vitamins replace HT? 58

10. Sex and the aging woman 63

11. What is the status of designer estrogens? 70

Part II Male Andropause

12. Is there a "male menopause"? 79

13. Is testosterone the only androgen the body produces? 85

14. Why should men consider androgen supplementation therapy? 90

15. What are the AST choices for men? 97

16. The first designer androgen for men 104

17. Can men safely use AST? 109

18. Should aging men use nonprescription androgens? 115

19. Sex and the aging man 121

20. Can AST help brain function in aging men? 126.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 165-190) and index.

ISBN:

0195159748

OCLC:

51163562