The Science Behind Female Reproduction Aging
What is Menopause?
Understanding the female aging process
Perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause are all terms that describe a woman’s change in hormone levels that typically come with age.
Perimenopause
This transition to menopause usually begins in a woman’s 40’s when her ovaries start making less estrogen and progesterone causing menstrual irregularity. This phase typically lasts three to four years and can be accompanied by symptoms of menopause.
Menopause
When menstruation has stopped for a period of 12 months due to further declining levels of estrogen, a woman has completed menopause. Symptoms include hot flushes, night sweats, fatigue, vaginal dryness, mood swings, weight gain, fatigue, and low libido.
Postmenopause
A continued drop in estrogen levels with the absence of menstrual cycles after 12 months is the postmenopause phase. This sustained reduction in estrogen increases a woman’s risk for many conditions including osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.
The Endocrine Theory of Aging
Complex connections between the brain and our endocrine glands which produce hormones make up the endocrine system which performs less optimally over time. In addition to Estrogen and Progesterone, other important hormones decline with age and begin their descent earlier than the menopausal transition. Some hormones rise with age leading to increased risk for illness and disease
DHEA
This “Mother Steroid” is a precursor to many hormones including testosterone and estradiol. It also has a direct effect on your arteries, bone, and immune system. Levels peak in your mid-twenties and steadily decline with age.
Testosterone
In women, it is primarily derived from DHEA and affects libido, mood, cognitive function, bone health, and muscle mass and it gradually declines.
Growth Hormone
By stimulating the release of a hormone called Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1), growth hormone has a potent muscle and bone building, immune-enhancing, and cardiovascular health-promoting effect.
Thyroid Hormone
The active component of your thyroid hormone is derived in the body less efficiently with age. Decreased levels occur with aging and are associated with depression, declining cognitive function, metabolism, and cardiovascular function.
Insulin
Tissue resistance to insulin due to aging and poor lifestyle can result in rising levels which are associated with an increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
Cortisol
Our body’s response to stress over time can result in prolonged elevations of cortisol, which adversely affects body composition, cognitive performance, and immune system function.
The Raffaele Medical treatment approach:
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy