Thursday, October 19, 2006

Forget HRT

HRT, or hormone replacement therapy, has traditionally referred to estrogen replacement therapy in women going through menopause. As you have probably heard, estrogen has fallen out of favor for menopausal symptoms because of estrogen's association with blood clots, stroke, and breast cancer.

Now, testosterone is now taking a hit, according to a study from the Mayo Clinic (ABC). What were the important clinical questions that they wanted to answer: In 150 people over 60 years old, does testosterone replacement therapy slow the aging process and does testosterone replacement increase libido?
At the end of two years, the hormone-taking men and women did have increased levels of sex hormones in their blood compared with those who had received fake pills or fake patches. But these hormone increases didn't make the volunteers any younger, as the supplement industry often promises.

"We found no difference in quality of life, including sex drive," said Dr. Sree Nair, lead author and professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic.
Uh, I'm thinking that this is really interesting to know, but maybe I don't want to know how they conducted this study. It's kind of like TMI, or too much information. I can kind of just see a bunch of Alfred Kinsey wannabes flying around the Mayo Clinic with clipboards and questionnaires. Kind of amusing to think about actually.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Actually endocrinologists recommend HRT to prevent bone loss in folks with osteoporosis (or to prevent osteoporosis) . . .

Anonymous said...

Darn it- you debunked another myth that I was looking forward to using!

It's me, T.J. said...

You may categorize this as more TMI, but I am curious to know about it so I thought I would ask.

In dogs and cats it has been proven through research: animals that are not spayed or neutered have an increased incidence of cancer.

Also, when the hormone producing organs are removed (ovaries and testicles), their life expectancy is increased.

Now my question:

Would/Could this be the same in humans?

Do you think that a ~reduction~ of the hormones instead of an increase would actually help one to live longer and possibly free of certain types of cancers?


If there hasn't been a study on this yet, and you are able to get one going...

All I ask is that the research project is named after me.

;+ )

later...

Anonymous said...

Well, I am wondering if you are thinking TMI because it involves the sex lives of those over age sixty (therefore, imaginatively, no longer young and pretty?).

If this research is not conducted by "Kinsey wannabes", would it be conducted by Kinsey himself? Otherwise, who else is there? Dr. Ruth? Good Vibrations?

Charlotte Rampling?

Just wondering.