Menopause, Andropause, and Human Growth Hormone Replacement

As men and women get older, the amount of hormones produced by the body changes; this inevitably impacts men and women. Women go through menopause because of the hormonal changes that occur with age. It is argued that men also go through what is called andropause because of hormonal changes. Both men and women receive types of hormone replacement treatments to counteract these changes.

As men and women get older their hormone levels change, and the differences are obvious. In women the decline of sexual hormones is caused by the lack of estrogen being produced by the ovaries. Women have only a slight decrease in sexual hormones from the age of 20 to 40, and after 40 years of age the levels drop significantly. In men the decrease of sexual hormones is gradual after the age of 20. It is caused by decreased production of testosterone and the increased production of sex hormone binding globulin, which limits the potency and amount of testosterone.

I think the differences in how the level of sexual hormones decline in men compared to women might play a role in societies views of hormone replacement therapy in men compared to women. It is more common for a man to use hormone replacement therapy, and I believe it may be because a woman does not need this type of treatment until she is much older than when a man may need this type of treatment. Human growth hormone may benefit men in their 50's because it promotes increased muscle building and decreased fat storage, but the risks include diabetes and joint pain. Hormones use to treat post-menopausal women were thought to provide women with increase health, but it has been linked to breast cancer and other illness.

Menopause and andropause cause distinct effects in the lives of men and women. These hormonal changes occur differently in men and women, but they are both related to hormonal level decrease. Menopause and andropause are commonly treated with human growth hormones, and these prescriptions have positive and negative aspects.

Reference

"The use of hormonal therapy in "andropause": the pro side."National Center for Biotechnology

Information . N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2011 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2422881/