Thank you for the information. How does SERM selective work can be performed or explained please? Why it is not recommended for breast cancer patients rather than Tamoxifen?
Thanks for a great conversation ! I am 54 years old and went into menopause at age 48. I suffer from extremely painful intercourse, my skin is very thin and has what looks like tiny blood blisters.
This interview fails to actually look at the deeply flawed design of the study in the hands of the researchers themselves-- we cannot simply blame the media's misrepresentation. This study has blood on its hands: period. This study was about prevention and its conclusions made statements about cause-- this alone should have invalidated the entire project, one billion dollar project, by the way.
Thank you for this. I am 12 years out from menopause and I am miserable. I hear horror stories everywhere I turn, except for with Dr. Tassone, Felice Gersh, and Dr. Haver.
I believe the apparent inferiority of birth control pills regarding bone protection is at least partially due to them frequently being taken for only 3 weeks out of every 4. It is therefore not a fair comparison against estradiol that is being taken continuously.
Hi, I am 46 years old. I had hysterectomy 5 years ago. I have been experiencing muscles & joint pain for a few months . Doctor said no RA factor and no physio issue and advised me for HRT. Kindly advise me that is HRT safe for me or not . Thanks
In the UK we don't have specialists in gyno health taking our smears, but health care assistants. They are obviously trained and experienced in the taking of the smear - but are not experienced enough to consider vulvo vaginal atrophy.
'Sensible advice': I'm not sure how much based on science. I want to see you all present panelists living with almost none testosterone after 60 years old. I really wish mother nature wasnt that cruel with us only and have the men going thorough the same at the same time in life than women. I want to see more women here than just men talking.
### Conclusion The evidence strongly supports that estrogen, not testosterone, is the primary hormone responsible for increasing female libido. This conclusion is backed by: - Historical and modern research findings. - Biological mechanisms and hormone fluctuations during the menstrual cycle. - Comparative studies with other mammals. - Effective estrogen therapy that mimics natural ovulation levels. ------- > ### "Testosterone vs Estrogen: Which Hormones Regulate & Increase Female Libido? A Deep Dive" #### 1. Historical Context and Limitations of Early Studies - Early Testosterone Studies: Initial studies in the 1930s and 1940s suggested that high doses of testosterone increased libido in women. However, these studies also reported the development of unwanted male characteristics (e.g., facial hair, lowered voices, clitoral enlargement), indicating that the doses were far above natural levels. - Waxenberg's 1959 Study: This study suggested that the adrenal glands (and thus testosterone) were crucial for female libido. However, it had significant limitations: - No adrenalectomy-only group was studied, making it impossible to isolate the effect of adrenal glands alone. - All participants were terminal breast cancer patients who underwent multiple major surgeries, which could have influenced their libido independently of hormone levels. #### 2. Modern Research and Evidence - Dr. Barbara Sherwin's 1985 Study: Followed 53 healthy, pre-menopausal women before and after the removal of their ovaries. The study found a significant decrease in libido following surgery, demonstrating that the adrenal glands' testosterone production alone could not maintain libido in the absence of ovarian hormones. - Dr. Lorraine Dennerstein's 2002 Study: Tracked 226 peri-menopausal women for 8 years, finding that estrogen levels significantly correlated with changes in sex drive and sexual behavior, while testosterone levels did not. #### 3. Biological Mechanisms and Hormone Fluctuations - Menstrual Cycle Hormone Fluctuations: Both estrogen and testosterone levels peak during ovulation, but estrogen increases by over 800%, while testosterone increases by only 150%. This stark difference in magnitude supports the idea that estrogen plays a more critical role in regulating libido. - Ovarian vs. Adrenal Control: The ovaries release sex hormones in a fluctuating pattern, while the adrenal glands release them steadily. Female libido fluctuates predictably during the menstrual cycle, aligning with the fluctuating hormone levels from the ovaries, not the steady release from the adrenal glands. #### 4. Conversion and Binding Hypotheses - Testosterone Conversion: Testosterone can be metabolized into estrogen in various tissues (e.g., breast, fat, bone, brain). High doses of testosterone might increase libido by indirectly raising estrogen levels. - Binding Proteins: A protein in the blood binds to both estrogen and testosterone, but prefers testosterone. Increasing testosterone levels could increase the amount of this protein bound to testosterone, freeing previously bound estrogen and increasing the amount of biologically active estrogen. #### 5. Consistency with Other Mammals - Comparative Biology: In all other female mammals studied, estrogen, not testosterone, is the hormone that influences sexual behavior. This consistency across species supports the argument that estrogen is likely the primary hormone responsible for female libido in humans as well. #### 6. Effective Estrogen Therapy - Estrogen Therapy Levels: Ineffective estrogen-only therapies often fail to raise estrogen to the levels seen during ovulation. Effective therapies that mimic natural ovulation levels (100-400 picograms/milliliter) increase libido about 80% of the time. - Testosterone Therapy: High levels of testosterone therapy also increase libido about 80% of the time, likely due to the conversion to estrogen or the freeing of bound estrogen.
I disagree with her about compounded testosterone……it certainly will show up in your labs…..that’s kind of stupid for her to speak…..the pellets are a horrible, that certainly is wayyyyyy too much when it’s inserted.
I have two children . I used lupe contraceptive for the last 9 years. after though away I get pregnance but abort for six weak. After than I do no get period for the last 8 years, what medicine should I take please help me
How to get saved and be right with God who loved us all, for eternal life! As anyone can get saved! 1-Realize that everyone has sinned before God in some way or another. Romans 3: 10+23 (KJB) 10. "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:" 23. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” 2-Realize that God loved us, even as wicked sinners, enough to allow Jesus to pay the full price for our sins as a freely given gift. Romans 5: 8-9 (KJB) 8. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." 9."Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." 3-Confess unto God, asking to be forgiven of your sins by accepting this free gift of forgiveness, that is given freely to whosoever does so. 1 Corinthians 15: 1-4 (KJB) 1."Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2."By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.” 3."For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;” 4."And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” Romans 10: 9-10+13 (KJB) 9. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” 10."For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." 13."For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Hebrews 9: 27-28 (KJB) 27."And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" 28."So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” Revelation 21: 8 (KJB) "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Romans 6: 23 (KJB) “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Lastly here is an example of what to pray to God to get saved and forgiven of your sins.) “Dear God, I am a sinner and need saving. I know I’m not good enough to get to heaven and I need you to save me. I need the righteousness of your son, Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus is the Lord, who died, was buried and resurrected so that his precious blood can wash away my sins. I trust in him alone to save me. Nothing else. Not my good works or anything else. Only Jesus. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Great insights Prof! It's surprising that Tongkat Ali isn't more widely recognized, especially given its benefits for women. In my family, relying on herbal and natural remedies and supplements has been a tradition for generations. For women, Tongkat Ali offers a plethora of advantages, including serving as an anti-aging supplement for overall revitalization, reducing unwanted weight gains by targeting body fat, enhancing libido and sexual health, promoting stronger lean muscle mass, boosting energy and stamina, improving athletic performance, enhancing mood while reducing stress, tension, and anxiety, as well as alleviating symptoms like hot flashes and joint pain associated with menopause. It's truly a versatile solution! I encourage everyone to give it a try; it might just help you!
Male docs as a group have damaged their credibility and not be trusted Remember.ber when they said hysectomy was not harmful at all. Or labeled a symptoms.as WW OR WHINY WOMAN . Saying it is all made up.
I went without period For 12 months. Then I had period after it and it was heavy and had terrible cramps then now I haven’t had one in a while now is that post menopause
Prof Susan Davis and the Australian Menopause Society produce guidelines for the treatment of peri menopausal and menopausal women which restrict women’s access to testosterone. As stated by Prof Davis in this interview, access is restricted to women with what is described as sexual dysfunction through loss of libido causing the women distress. This is incredibly sexist. No mention of protection against sarcopenia, and other benefits which are well described elsewhere are diminished. I know many women (& men in andropause) who are seeking access to testosterone in Australia and not a single person who has been able to access it. In this interview, Prof Davis says smaller doses of testosterone medication produced for men is the preferred prescription for women. What about Androfeme? Australian made and certified, and made for women.
These will be popular and extremely lucrative, and it is important that women are made aware that such drugs may alleviate symptoms but don't provide any of the long term health benefits of estrogen, such as bone health. I am concerned that women who could enjoy the range of benefits that estrogen provides will opt for these out of fear and ignorance, particularly if marketing capitalises on these fears.
I need help but I can’t seem to get any from the medical field. I’ve been in the emergency room twice to get blood transfusions and iron infusions. I had change my diet and was eating a lot of Chris’s for us vegetables and I don’t know what happened but I started bleeding like bad I went to emergency room got the Blood transfusions and iron infusions first time they didn’t even put me on iron so I got anemic and ended up back in the hospital. Now I’m trying to get my primary care physician to get me off these birth control pills. They’re affecting me terribly the name of the medication is MEGESTROL acetate is causing me breast pains, cousin, my blood sugar to go. Hi mate, blood pressure to go high just a horrible feeling. It is supposed to stop my bleeding. He refused. This was a oncologist to even consider by identical progesterone instead of the synthetic that is used for people who don’t have an appetite and it makes you really hungry, it’s a very evil medicine and I’m 69 I’ll be 70 in July. I’ve never had any problems like this but I found out I am allergic to oxalates which are in broccoli cauliflower and basically I was almost vegetarian when all my problems started so now I’m trying to eat more protein and staying away from the vegetables but I need help. I can’t get anybody to help me, they did all kinds of tests to make sure I didn’t have cancer other places, CAT scans and MRIs you name it they did it but they can’t find cancer anywhere. I’m not even sure what my diagnosis really is they found some cancer cells on my endometriosis wall in my uterus, it wasn’t a very professional biopsy they did and the doctor seems to not want anything to do with me any more than one that was going to do surgery I don’t know if he thought he’s gonna find cancer somewhere else in my body and didn’t I was I want and I know I need some bio denticle progesterone the longer I stay on the medicine, the more chances of getting breast cancer I already have fibroid cystic disease of the breast so I stay away from caffeine. I’ve been to a breast specialist before to know what supplements to take a long time ago that I feel like lost here. I don’t know what to do. I tried calling some compound pharmacies they do have FDA approved pedestrian but you need a prescription. I don’t understand why my primary care physician refuses to write me a prescription for that even though he sees how dangerous this is that the other doctor put me on who is no longer my doctor never really was it was a follow up from the emergency room This is a big mess I’m fighting for my life and I’ll never give up. I hope you can give me some type of advice because I truly know my body very well and I don’t think I have cancer at all the girl that did the biopsy was in school to be an OB/GYN she wasn’t evenreally supposed to give me the biopsy. It was in the emergency room and I’ve been told so many different things when I was in the hospital every morning a new doctor came and said I had something else confused in Missouri.
The study of COCP Vs HRT in POI must make sure the pill is taken continuously. I suspect the disappointing performance on bone is at least partially due to the outdated 21/28 day regimen, leaving women untreated 25 percent of the time. Cost is also a factor for those who have to fund some or all of their treatment, the pill is cheaper and in some instances can be obtained free on the NHS.
I have had i bout of depression 4 years ago took the meds had 6:24 better came of meds 52 peri menopausal feeling depressed not able to exercise just a changed person don't recognise myself. No reason for feeling like this evething has just got on top of me is it depression or menopausal no one can tell me .
Modern HRT does NOT use the old synthetic medroxyprogesterone anymore which must indeed be associated with higher risk of stroke & CVD... Instead BODYIDENTICAL MICRONIZED progesterone is used. In the estradial-only arm of the WHI study, women had better outcomes for all risks. So don't blame any increased risks on estradiol. By the way, most of the studies cited here were done with the old horse-urine-based ORAL synthetic estradiol which gets metabolized in the liver and indeed increases the risks of clotting ... Good that you at least mentioned much better risk-benefit-outcomes for transdermal! Please, finally start researching the MODERN types of HRT instead of spreading old, outdated info scaring women away from the only long-term intervention to deal with symptoms and diseases associated with hormone deficiency (=menopause)...
It seems that the information available is weak. Looking at the women's age but also lifestyle factors such as obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, diet and cardiovascular exercise. The only certain information appears to be women with worse menopausal symptoms and earlier menopause onset have higher risk of stroke. It seems if women have severe menopausal symptoms they should be put on hormone therapy without question. If men went through menopause I believe we would know so much more.
What about women who never stop bleeding? No one ever discusses what it means when women reach the end of their 50s who still have a monthly period, and why that might be. At what age should a woman have completely stopped their period, and if they haven't, something is definitely wrong?
I recently did a DEXA and compared to last year, my AP spine L1 - L2 went down from 2.0 to 1.8 but my right femural wards went up from 2.1 to 2.2. I know I’m osteopenia but I’m just wondering why this happened ? I do weight bearing exercises, walk a lot, go up and down steps and consume protein and I’m extremely happy that my spine numbers have improved but surprised that my femur has worsened by 0.1. Any advice appreciated pls. I’m 52, menopausal and female.
Women have a higher risk of dying from heart disease, dementia, and osteoporosis than breast cancer and stroke. The statistics show this. If this is the case why is there still all the fear mongering with HRT? Why aren’t Dr educated on this? It’s abuse and medical malpractice! AND HRT should be taken for prevention of heart disease especially if heart disease is the #1 KILLER of post-menopausal women. We should aim to be taking HRT in doses that are preventative for heart disease, dementia, and osteoporosis as well as treat symptoms. HRT should never be taken at the lowest dose for the shortest amount of time just to treat symptoms only. That would be medical malpractice as it’s not taking into account the risk of heart disease, dementia, and osteoporosis without HRT. So many women suffering at the hands of their Drs and being refused treatment or under treating.
Why would you want to not use hormones for menopause if we KNOW that the root cause of the symptoms is lack of estrogen and not having hormone replacement increases risk of heart disease, dementia and osteoporosis? We don’t need drugs with significant negative side effects that don’t treat the root cause and therefore increases our risk of heart disease, dementia and osteoporosis. What we need is replacement of our hormones. Would you expect men to not have any testosterone if this happened to them? You expect women to live 1/2 their lives without hormones they’ve had and not have significant organ dysfunction? Do you tell ppl with T1DM or hypothyroid to not take their hormones and insulin but instead treat symptoms with a drug that will never help their root cause and never give them the health that they deserve? This would be medical malpractice! Why are you treating women this way?! We deserve better and in this day and age I would expect more research and funding for women’s health especially as it relates to menopause and hormone replacement without the fear mongering. This is extremely disappointing
Why do women have more depression in general and are taking the bulk of antidepressants and still not having a good quality of life especially during perimenopause AND menopause? I feel we’re over medicating women with antidepressants and ignoring the real issues of estrogen and other hormone regulation. This shouldn’t be happening.
What is the benefit of measuring blood hormones of estrogen as it varies throughout the day, and hour by hour? I’m not sure how that can help for determining dose.
You refer to all progestogens as progestin and are not making a distinction between progesterone and progestin and those differences just like the differences in the different types of estrogens. Please make those distinctions in the future. Thank you.
Cause and effect. Look at the long covid cases and see if they have had covid vaccinations prior to the diagnosis. Why is no one looking at that pattern?