Estrogen may be link to ‘male menopause’ – Thu, 12 Sep 2013 PST

The ads tout testosterone treatments for low T, but surprising new research shows a different hormone may play a role in less sex drive and more fat as men age. Estrogen the female hormone is needed by men, too, and the study gives the first clear evidence that too little of it can cause certain male menopausesymptoms.

A lot of things we think are due to testosterone deficiency are actually related to the estrogen deficiency that accompanies it, said Dr. Joel Finkelstein of Massachusetts General Hospital. He led the federally funded study, which appears in todays New England

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The ads tout testosterone treatments for low T, but surprising new research shows a different hormone may play a role in less sex drive and more fat as men age. Estrogen the female hormone is needed by men, too, and the study gives the first clear evidence that too little of it can cause certain male menopausesymptoms.

A lot of things we think are due to testosterone deficiency are actually related to the estrogen deficiency that accompanies it, said Dr. Joel Finkelstein of Massachusetts General Hospital. He led the federally funded study, which appears in todays New England Journal ofMedicine.

Testosterone is the main male sex hormone. Mens bodies convert some of it into estrogen, and levels of both decline with age. Until now, there was no way to tell which hormone was responsible for complaints of diminished libido, strength andenergy.

Millions of men have been prescribed testosterone gel, patches or shots for these problems, but its not known how much they need or whether this hormone replacement therapy is good, bad or neutral, Finkelstein said. Doctors dont usually prescribe estrogen to men; the way to remedy low estrogen is to give them testosterone and let the body convertit.

The study didnt test hormones as therapy, but explored which ones had which effects. It involved 400 healthy male volunteers, ages 20 to 50, who were given monthly shots of a drug to temporarily reduce their testosterone production to pre-puberty levels. They were then given various doses of testosterone gel or a dummy gel to use. Half also were given another drug to prevent testosterones conversion intoestrogen.

Designing the study this way allowed researchers to compare the effects of different levels of each hormone on things like strength and bodycomposition.

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Estrogen may be link to ‘male menopause’ - Thu, 12 Sep 2013 PST