Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) for Men: Benefits & Risks
As men age, it’s natural for testosterone levels to decline, leading to various symptoms that can affect quality of life. This decline often begins as early as the mid-30s but becomes more pronounced after 40, leading many men to seek solutions. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) has emerged as a viable option to address these hormonal imbalances, particularly low testosterone levels. Understanding the benefits and considerations of HRT is crucial for men contemplating this treatment.
The Role of Testosterone in Men’s Health
Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone responsible for regulating libido, bone density, muscle mass, and mood. A decline in testosterone can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, depression, reduced sexual desire, and decreased muscle strength. . Additionally, lower testosterone levels have been linked to increased body fat, particularly around the abdomen, which can further impact metabolic health. These changes can significantly impact daily life and overall well-being.
Benefits of Hormone Replacement Therapy
HRT aims to restore testosterone levels to a normal range, offering several potential benefits:
- Improved Energy Levels: Many men report increased vitality and reduced fatigue after undergoing HRT, allowing for a more active lifestyle. This is particularly beneficial for those who struggle with chronic lethargy, making daily activities and exercise feel less exhausting.
- Mood Stabilization: Balanced testosterone levels can alleviate mood swings, depression, and irritability, contributing to better mental health. Some studies suggest that HRT can even help reduce anxiety symptoms in men with clinically low testosterone.
- Enhanced Libido and Sexual Function: HRT has been shown to improve sexual desire and performance, addressing issues like erectile dysfunction. For men experiencing a noticeable drop in their sex drive, this can be a major factor in improving relationships and self-confidence.
- Increased Muscle Mass and Bone Density: Restoring testosterone can help rebuild muscle mass and strengthen bones, reducing the risk of osteoporosis. This is crucial, as weaker bones and muscle loss can increase the likelihood of injuries as men age.
- Improved Cognitive Function: Some studies suggest that HRT may enhance cognitive abilities, including memory and concentration. Men who struggle with mental fog or forgetfulness may see an improvement in clarity and focus.
Considerations and Potential Side Effects
While HRT offers numerous benefits, it’s essential to be aware of potential risks and side effects:
- Cardiovascular Health: Some research indicates a possible link between HRT and cardiovascular issues; however, findings are mixed, and more studies are needed.
- Prostate Health: There is concern that testosterone therapy might stimulate the growth of existing prostate cancer, though evidence is not conclusive.
- Sleep Apnea: HRT may exacerbate sleep apnea in some individuals.
- Blood Clotting: Increased red blood cell production can lead to a higher risk of blood clots.
Given these considerations, it’s crucial to consult with healthcare professionals before starting HRT. A thorough evaluation, including blood tests and medical history, will help determine if HRT is appropriate and safe.
Renewed Vitality’s Approach to HRT
At Renewed Vitality, we specialize in providing personalized HRT solutions tailored to each individual’s need, including:
- Detailed Assessments: We conduct thorough evaluations to understand your hormonal profile and health status.
- Customized Treatment Plans: Based on assessment results, we develop treatment plans that align with your health goals and lifestyle.
- Ongoing Monitoring: Regular follow-ups ensure the therapy’s effectiveness and allow for adjustments as needed.
- Holistic Support: Beyond HRT, we offer guidance on nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle modifications to support overall well-being.
If low testosterone is slowing you down, the right hormone treatment can make a real difference. Our expert team provides personalized, comprehensive HRT solutions designed to fit your unique needs and get you back to feeling your best. Ready to take the next step? Feel free to contact us today! We’re here to support you on your health journey
The human body is full of hormones. They’re the sophisticated message system that your body has in place so that all of your different organs and systems can communicate properly. Most people know about hormones in the context of their reproductive health– estrogen, testosterone, and other names will probably sound familiar to you. However, there are far more hormones at work in your body that can be helpful to learn about! Ghrelin is one that you might or might not be familiar with, but you feel its effects every single day. It’s the hunger hormone! Let’s take a closer look at how ghrelin works inside your body.
What is Ghrelin?
Ghrelin is a hormone produced in your body that mainly affects your digestive system. Unlike neurohormones, which work in your brain, or sex hormones, which work in your reproductive system but have jobs all over the body, ghrelin is a hormone that’s pretty directly focused on your hunger, digestion, and eating habits.
What Does Ghrelin Do?
Ghrelin is called the “hunger hormone” because its main function is to do just that– make you hungry! It’s what gives your body feelings of hunger and creates the drive to eat and seek out food. In prehistoric humans, ghrelin was what drew you out of your safe, protected dwelling to hunt and seek out sustenance. In modern times, the only places ghrelin is likely to drive you are to the fridge or the grocery store. However, the function is the same. The human body needs fuel, and ghrelin is what makes you seek it out.
Ghrelin works in tandem with another hormone called leptin. One of leptin’s main functions is to make you feel full, so when you eat, your ghrelin levels go down and your leptin levels come up, letting you know that it’s time to stop eating for now. After a meal, your leptin levels gradually come down again as your ghrelin levels come up, increasing your feelings of hunger the longer you go without eating.
Ghrelin also plays a small role in your sleep/wake cycle, or circadian rhythm. Ever had trouble sleeping when you had a light dinner and are really hungry, or when you’ve eaten way too much before bed? Blame ghrelin for that. It also has to do with your reward-seeking system, your taste sensation, and the way you metabolize food. If you’ve ever been on a diet, you know the feeling of ghrelin making it hard to stick to that low-calorie plan!
Where is Ghrelin Made?
Ghrelin is produced in your digestive system, mostly in your stomach. An empty stomach is what triggers the production of this hormone. Once it enters your bloodstream and makes your way around your body, ghrelin eventually finds its way into your hypothalamus, the part of the brain that helps to control and regulate your appetite. That’s where it works to trigger feelings of hunger and that thought of “it’s time to eat something!”
What Causes High Ghrelin?
Ghrelin levels are found to be high in people who follow restrictive diets for one reason or another. People who suffer from eating disorders like anorexia tend to have high ghrelin, as do people who are frequently on yo-yo or fad diets. High ghrelin is also sometimes found in people who restrict their diets for health reasons, like those with celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disease.
What Causes Low Ghrelin?
While it might sound counterintuitive, people who struggle with obesity often have low ghrelin levels. Scientists are still working to understand this, but one theory is that overweight or obese people are more sensitive to ghrelin, and can feel its hunger-causing effects even at lower levels. Low ghrelin is also associated with conditions like chronic gastritis, irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspepsia, and infections like H. Pylori.
How Does Ghrelin Affect Me?
For the most part, your ghrelin levels are something that naturally fluctuates with your diet and eating schedule. If you’re trying to lose weight, however, you probably feel like you have a pretty antagonistic relationship with your hunger, and so, by association, your ghrelin hormone. Try to think of it this way– in this day and age where we have access to more food than we can possibly eat, ghrelin may seem like a simple annoyance, but in the early days of humanity, ghrelin was what helped us protect ourselves from starving. It helped humans maintain healthy fat levels that would sustain them through times of scarcity.
If you have abnormally high or low ghrelin levels, there’s probably an underlying cause like a digestive disorder that should be treated by a specialist. However, if you’re otherwise healthy with no additional symptoms but you’re struggling with your feelings of hunger, it’s likely that you’re just feeling the effects of ghrelin doing its job and trying to keep you fed.
You can help to keep your ghrelin levels more balanced and manage your hunger by eating a healthy diet full of satiating foods like protein, fats, and healthy carbs, as well as adding in high-volume foods like vegetables. Try to get an adequate amount of sleep and stay hydrated as well– these things can help to regulate your appetite!
Ghrelin and your digestive system don’t exist in a vacuum within your body, and all of your hormones and body systems are connected. Imbalances in your sex hormones have the power to affect your appetite, so if you’re struggling with too much or not enough hunger along with other symptoms, seeing the hormonal specialists at Renewed Vitality might help you! Talk to our team today to learn more.
When it comes to understanding your body and how it works, understanding your hormones is very important. Hormones are the chemical messengers of your body. They tell each organ, system, and structure what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. That’s a big job, and if one of your hormone levels is out of balance, it could cause things not to work right all over your body.
Understanding your hormones, however, is a little easier said than done. There’s a lot of them, and they have complex and varied jobs that are hard to keep track of. To help you get a better handle on your hormones, the team at Renewed Vitality is breaking down what you need to know about these major body chemicals. Today, let’s take a look at testosterone!
What is Testosterone?
Testosterone is a sex hormone, meaning that its primary functions are related to the reproductive system. It’s largely known as the male sex hormone since it performs lots of very important functions in a man’s body, but just like estrogen, everybody has some level of testosterone in their body, regardless of sex or gender.
What Does Testosterone Do?
As a male sex hormone, testosterone is vital to a man’s sexual development and function. Testosterone levels in the body start to rise around puberty, and contribute to increasing height and muscle development, the development of the penis, testes, and prostate, and body hair growth.
In maturity, testosterone plays an important role in sperm production and libido. Aside from this, it also affects your blood health, signaling the body to make new red blood cells, and is important to the health of your bones and muscles. Testosterone levels can even affect your mood and how your body stores fat!
Where is Testosterone Made?
Testosterone, like the other sex hormones, is produced mainly in the “gonads,” or the primary reproductive gland of the body. For men, testosterone production takes place in the testes. For women, the ovaries make the levels of testosterone they need.
What Happens If You Have Low Testosterone?
Low testosterone is a common complaint among men in their later years. While the symptoms of falling testosterone levels as you age are difficult to deal with, they’re not uncommon or unnatural. Testosterone levels naturally start to drop off as you age, but especially low levels can lead to symptoms like decreased sex drive or erectile dysfunction, low energy, low mood, memory problems, weight gain, thinning hair, and thinner or weaker bones. These effects of low testosterone can happen in women with an imbalance in the hormone as well as men, although they are much more common in males. The condition is often abbreviated to “low T,” but you might also see it referred to as “male hypogonadism.”
What Happens If You Have High Testosterone?
Unhealthily high testosterone levels can lead to acne, weight gain, high blood pressure, increased risk of heart attack or blood clots, low sperm count, and mood swings, among a number of other side effects. High testosterone in men is often seen as a result of steroid use, but it can also be a sign of tumors or genetic mutations.
In women, high testosterone levels can lead to increased hair growth, weight gain, reduced fertility, and other symptoms. It’s most commonly a sign of PCOS, or polycystic ovarian syndrome, a fairly common reproductive condition.
What to Do About Testosterone Imbalances?
If you suspect you may be suffering from an imbalance in your testosterone levels, HRT, or hormone replacement therapy, might be a good option for you! At Renewed Vitality, we offer highly advanced bioidentical hormone replacement therapy that can help you feel more like yourself again! Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you.
If you’re a man over the age of 40, you may have started to notice some changes in your body and mood that you can’t quite explain. Perhaps you’re feeling more fatigued than usual, or you’re having difficulty sleeping. Maybe your libido has decreased, or you’ve noticed a decline in your muscle mass. These symptoms, among others, can be indicative of a hormonal imbalance, which can be corrected through hormone replacement therapy (HRT). But if you’re new to HRT, you may have some questions. That’s where Renewed Vitality, Berks County’s premier HRT facility, comes in. We’ve compiled a list of FAQs to help you better understand how this life-changing treatment option can make you feel healthy and like yourself again.
What is HRT & How Does it Work?
At Renewed Vitality, HRT is a medical treatment that involves supplementing your body’s natural hormones with our bioidentical hormones. These hormones are engineered to be biologically identical to those your body produces. For men, the primary hormones that are targeted in HRT are testosterone and human growth hormone (HGH). You can also supplement your body’s natural hormones with synthetic hormones to restore hormonal balance and alleviate any symptoms of a hormonal imbalance.
Who is a Good Candidate for HRT?
Men who are experiencing symptoms of a hormonal imbalance, such as fatigue, decreased libido, difficulty sleeping, and muscle loss, may be good candidates for HRT. Additionally, men who have been diagnosed with low testosterone or growth hormone deficiency may also be good candidates for HRT. However, before undergoing HRT, it’s important to consult with your doctor to ensure that it’s an appropriate treatment option for you.
What are the Benefits of HRT?
HRT can provide quite a few benefits, including increased energy and stamina, improved sleep quality, increased libido and sexual function, increased muscle mass and strength, and decreased body fat. Additionally, HRT has been shown to have cognitive benefits, such as improved memory and concentration. HRT can also help to prevent age-related diseases, such as osteoporosis and heart disease.
What are the Risks Associated With HRT for Men?
Like any medical treatment, there are risks associated with HRT. However, when administered by a qualified medical professional at Renewed Vitality, the risks of HRT are minimal. The most common risks associated with HRT include acne and breast enlargement. However, these risks can be mitigated by monitoring hormone levels and adjusting dosages as needed.
How Long Does it Take to See the Effects of HRT?
The length of time it takes to see the effects of HRT will vary depending on the individual and the type of HRT being administered. Research shows that some men may start to feel the effects of HRT within a few weeks, while others may not notice any changes for several months. It’s important to be patient and to work closely with your medical provider to ensure that you’re getting the most out of your HRT treatment.
Hormone replacement therapy can be a restorative and healthy treatment option for men experiencing symptoms of a hormonal imbalance. With treatment at Renewed Vitality, men can restore hormonal balance in their lives and enjoy increased energy, improved sleep quality, increased libido, and more. If you’re interested in learning more about HRT or exploring whether it’s the right treatment option for you, don’t hesitate to contact us. Our team is committed to helping everyone improve their quality of life through personalized, effective, and safe HRT treatments.
While everyone’s body produces the natural hormone testosterone, it’s often associated and more highly concentrated in men. Essentially, testosterone is a hormone created predominately in the testicles and helps maintain your body’s healthy bone density, fat distribution, muscular strength and mass, facial and body hair, red blood cell production, sex drive, and sperm production.
As men age, testosterone levels naturally and slowly decline, which can worsen physiological conditions, general health levels, and quality of life. To help reduce the effects of decreased testosterone levels and negatively-correlated symptoms, Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) can be a promising option. However, it’s important to note that there are a lot of misconceptions about what the treatment can and can’t do for individuals.
Let’s take a closer look at what TRT is, its potential benefits, financial costs, and the types of TRT treatments that are commonly available.
What is Testosterone Replacement Therapy?
TRT is a treatment that medical professionals often prescribe to men who have testosterone deficiency and are showing symptoms of hypogonadism. Getting prescription testosterone has been proven to help restore the levels of this hormone in the blood, reversing the symptoms of low testosterone. Many men who take it can notice improvements in alertness, sexual function, energy levels, mood, and more.
Medical professionals typically prescribe TRT to males who have hypogonadism. To get a definitive evaluation, blood tests must show that an individual has low testosterone levels, which the American Urological Association defines as being below 300 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dl). Individuals usually have to also be experiencing other symptoms, including fatigue, breast growth, and sexual dysfunction.
If you are experiencing symptoms of low testosterone, you likely don’t feel as good as you should. Beyond day-to-day symptoms, low levels of testosterone can also impact your body’s ability to carry out critical functions, which can increase your risk for other serious health concerns, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Symptoms do vary for each person, but if you experience several or all of the symptoms below, it’s worth getting your T levels checked:
- Decreased muscular strength and stamina
- Low sex drive
- Erectile difficulties
- Diminished sperm volume
- Unusual weight gain or body fat redistribution
- Changes in Mood
How Much Does TRT Cost?
For most patients, TRT doesn’t have to be very costly. Additionally, the majority of health insurance companies cover a wide range of testosterone replacement therapy forms, which means you’ll. Co-pays can range anywhere from $30-$100 per month, depending on your location, treatment schedule, and insurance plan. Generic options also help reduce out-of-pocket expenses for TRT.
Without insurance, TRT injections are usually the least costly type and can range from $50 to $100 per month. Solutions in the form of gels, creams, and patches usually range between $200 and $500 per month.
TRT is a great option for restoring and bolstering your overall health, wellness, and sense of well being. But remember that costs and types of treatment may vary depending on your needs. Be sure to consult with your primary doctor to figure out the best methods for TRT for you.
Is TRT Right for You?
If you or a loved one are experiencing symptoms of low testosterone, be sure to consult with your primary care physician. A healthcare professional can detail the benefits of testosterone replacement therapy, any potential risks, and work with you to formulate a treatment plan.
The official U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does warn about the potential risk of heart attacks and strokes for some individuals receiving TRT (FDA, 2018). Testosterone treatment can also have side effects like infertility. Additionally, it may not be a good solution for you if you have certain medical conditions, such as prostate cancer.
At Renewed Vitality, we always strive to give patients the most natural results possible with the least amount of side effects. That’s why every hormone replacement treatment option we offer, including those for testosterone replacement therapy, uses bioidentical hormones. To better consider your potential TRT treatment options, contact us today to get started!
Almost every person will experience hormonal changes during their lifetimes. It’s also common for both men and women to start experiencing symptoms of hormone changes and deficiencies as they age. But how do you know for certain if you’re experiencing a hormonal imbalance?
First, it’s crucial to evaluate your symptoms. In women especially, hormones are a critical aspect of every phase of life—from the beginning of menarche through childbearing age and into menopause. These hormones change over time to meet our body’s changing needs.
But sometimes hormone levels become unbalanced, creating uncomfortable or painful symptoms. At Renewed Vitality, our symptom checker services help people address hormonal problems and feel their best through each stage of life.
Common symptoms of hormone imbalances often include:
Hair Loss
The health and growth of your hair is also specifically related to your hormones. Thyroid abnormalities, for instance, can cause a person’s dry hair or skin, thinning hair, or fragile nails. Hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and parathyroid disorder are also known to cause hair loss.
Anxiety or Depression
Nearly 20% of Americans suffer from an anxiety-related disorder, and 7% from a major depressive disorder every year. Women may be at a higher risk due to changes in estrogen levels during menstrual cycles, pregnancy, or menopause that are correlated to worsening depression. In terms of hormones specifically, research on the impact of estrogen receptors in the brain concluded that estrogen reduces the fear response and anxiety levels for both humans and rodents. Higher amounts of estrogen were also correlated with less fearful responses when stimulated by fearful situations.
Heightened Moodiness or Irritability
The hormone estrogen induces an important effect on neurotransmitters in the brain, including serotonin (a chemical that improves mood). For women, fluctuating estrogen levels can cause premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or depressed mood during the perimenopause (the phase before periods stop completely) and the menopause. Men with low levels of testosterone have a higher chance of developing anxiety or major depressive disorder when compared to those with normal levels.
Weight Gain or Loss of Muscle Mass
A wide range of hormone-related conditions can result in weight gain, including an underactive thyroid (when it does not produce enough thyroid hormones that help regulate your metabolism). Hormone-related weight gain or loss of muscle may also result from polycystic ovary syndrome, a problem causing small cysts on the ovaries, and menopause, which creates hormonal changes that can make you more likely to gain fat near your abdomen.
Low Energy, Stamina, or Motivation
While experiencing perimenopause and menopause, a woman’s ovaries gradually produce less estrogen and progesterone, which promotes sleep. Decreasing estrogen levels could also make night sweats worse, which disturb your sleep, contributing to greater fatigue and low energy levels.
Low Sex Drive
Low libido is a common symptom for women going through perimenopause or menopause because of falling levels of estrogen and testosterone. Additional menopausal symptoms include night sweats, fatigue, low mood, and greater anxiety, all of which can also negatively impact your sex life.
Still uncertain whether you’re suffering from hormone imbalances? Take our quick quiz that helps you evaluate hormonal imbalance symptoms. To get started, click here for women and here for men. Truly, the more information you have about your specific hormonal imbalances (triggers, causes, etc.) the better you can heal them moving forward.
If you and your healthcare provider think you may be experiencing hormone imbalances, contact Renewed Vitality today! We are the Reading area’s hormone therapy resource and can help you start feeling healthy and more like yourself again.
Most people are familiar with the concept of hot flashes. They’re a very common symptom of menopause, and so many women will experience them at least a few times in their later years. You may be wondering, however, if men can ever experience hot flashes. The answer is yes, they can, but the underlying causes of hot flashes are of course different from the causes of hot flashes in women. Let’s take a look at why a man might be suffering from hot flashes, and what can be done to relieve them.
What is a Hot Flash?
A hot flash is a sudden and unexpected warm feeling that doesn’t correspond to the temperature of the environment. The sensation of heat is often felt in the face, neck, chest, and upper body, and can often cause sweating and redenning of the skin. Loss of heat during a hot flash can lead to chills after it ends, and they can often occur during the night and are then referred to as night sweats.
Hot flashes are not a condition on their own and are a symptom of some other issue that might be happening. They can be bothersome and uncomfortable, and when they occur at night, can lead to lost sleep.
What Causes Hot Flashes in Men?
While hot flashes in women are usually a sign of changing hormone levels, like those seen in menopause, in men they have a few different causes.
Androgen Deprivation Therapy
A treatment for prostate cancer called androgen deprivation therapy works by restricting the production of testosterone in the body. This helps to stop the cancer cells from growing or spreading, because testosterone stimulates their growth. However, the lowered levels of testosterone cause hot flashes for the majority of the men who undergo this treatment.
Lifestyle Stress
Hot flashes can sometimes occur alongside other symptoms in a man such as erectile dysfunction, lowered libido, or mood changes. For these symptoms together, it’s common that some kind of stress, depression, anxiety, or other mental health issue is aggravating them.
Low Testosterone
Low testosterone can occur for many different reasons, and can cause hot flashes. Some of the underlying causes of low testosterone (also called hypogonadism or low T) include undescended testicles, physical testicular injury, Klinefelter’s syndrome, hemochromatosis, pituitary disorders, HIV or AIDS, and many other conditions. Other symptoms of low T include infertility, low energy levels, low muscle mass, decreased sex drive, hair loss, and more. If these symptoms occur along with hot flashes, speak to your doctor about your testosterone levels and what might be causing them to be low.
What Can You Do to Relieve Male Hot Flashes?
Hot flashes can be difficult to manage, and even more challenging to avoid, but there are some steps you can take to make them easier to deal with.
Avoiding Triggers
Spend a week or so being observant about what you’re doing right before and during a hot flash. You might be able to identify some things that trigger them, including warm rooms or tight, hot clothing, alcohol, smoking, caffeine, or spicy food. Avoiding these things can help you to avoid hot flashes.
Healthy Lifestyle Changes
Building in more exercise, nutritious foods, and plenty of sleep will help to improve many things about your physical health, including hot flashes. Prioritizing fitness and health and taking care of your body can help to make these episodes easier to deal with.
Treat the Cause
If you can identify the underlying cause of your hot flashes with your doctor’s help, such as environmental stress or low testosterone, you can begin treating the underlying cause of your hot flashes and stopping them altogether.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Hormone replacement therapy can often be a great treatment for men looking to deal with their hot flashes, although with some exceptions. Men with a history of prostate cancer are advised not to undergo any testosterone replacement therapy since testosterone stimulates prostate cancer cells. However, if you and your healthcare provider think this might be a good option for you, contact Renewed Vitality today! We are the Reading area’s hormone replacement therapy resource and can help you start to feel like yourself again.
Your hormones are the chemical messengers of your body, and they affect just about every process that goes on inside your body, not just your reproductive system. Weight, sleep, appetite, growth, even body temperature– all of these things are affected by changing levels of hormones in your system. You might’ve known this fact already, and maybe you’re familiar with other bodily processes that your hormones affect, but did you know that your hormones also play a role in your cardiac health? The different levels of estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone in your system can change how your heart functions and can even raise or lower your risk of cardiovascular disease. Let’s take a look at how your hormones can affect your heart health.
Estrogen
While estrogen’s primary function is as the female sex hormone, it has a surpisingly strong effect on cardiovascular health. Studies show that leading cause of death in postmenopausal women is heart disease. Although this connection is still being studied, the evidence suggests a correlation between the increased risk of heart disease following menopause and the dropping estrogen levels that occur at the same time, which seems to line up with the various functions of the hormone. Estrogen can improve the ability of your blood vessels to dilate and respond to changes in blood pressure, and they also help you to avoid clots.
There have been some studies that would seem to disprove the theory that dropping estrogen levels are bad for your heart, where postmenopausal women who were undergoing hormone replacement therapy didn’t see any benefits from increased estrogen. However, in these studies, the women were taking orally-dosed estrogen that affects cardiovascular health in different ways and can sometimes cause more harm than good. Naturally derived estrogen that is delivered percutaneously (under the skin) like the kind offered by Renewed Vitality has been shown to have more positive effects on heart health.
Testosterone
Lower levels of testosterone are not only associated with cardiovascular disease, they’re associated with other conditions that can eventually lead to cardiovascular disease, such as insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Between 27 and 36 percent of men who experience heart failure are also testosterone deficient, so much like estrogen, the connection is still being studied, but a correlation between testosterone levels and heart health is certainly present.
Testosterone has some vasodilatory effects (the dilation of veins) just like estrogen, and also plays a role in fighting inflammation and influencing muscular strength. Because of all of these things, testosterone replacement therapy has been shown to have positive effects for heart failure patients, including female patients, increasing functional capacity and decreasing other heart failure symptoms without major side effects.
Progesterone
Progesterone’s relationship to heart health is a little complicated. Part of this is due to the role progesterone plays in the production of cortisol, the body’s stress hormone that also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent. Heart disease means lots of inflammation, so cortisol is one of the tools the body uses to fight back The body uses progesterone to make cortisol, and in times of stress where lots of cortisol is needed, your body could become deficient in progesterone and experience a hormonal imbalance.
The other part of progesterone’s relationship to heart health has to do with a confusion in terms between natural and synthetic progesterone. The naturally occurring hormone has no negative effects on the cardiovascular system, but synthetic progesterone, or progestin, can be detrimental to the blood vessel walls and may increase clotting. This poses a problem, especially when a heart issue creates a progesterone imbalance due to high cortisol production. However, it’s been found that bioidentical progesterone hormone replacement treatment, like the kind offered by Renewed Vitality, doesn’t share the same risks as progestin and can be a useful treatment to help these imbalances.
As you can see, the relationship between your hormones and your heart is complicated and interconnected, with lots of studies still being conducted today. However, reliable bioidentical hormone replacement therapy has been well-established as helpful in cases of cardiovascular disease, so if you’re interested in learning more about how Renewed Vitality can help you, don’t hesitate to contact us.
