Introduction:
With advancements in medical science, it has now become possible to overcome any shortcomings, limitations or inconveniences concerning human health. Thanks to unconventional medical procedures, altering one’s innate characteristics, viz., gender, genetic makeup, physical appearances, etc., is not impossible anymore. One of the most significant advances of medical sciences is in the field of Hormonal Replacement Therapy (HRT). HRT is used to replace or replenish any hormone that the body is deficient in, or is not able to synthesize anymore. While the most common use of HRT is the replacement of the estrogen hormone in postmenopausal women, it has found use in many other clinical applications. Some of these include thyroid hormone replacement therapy in patients suffering from hypothyroidism and androgen replacement therapies in treating male hypogonadal disorders. HRT is a very vast and expansive subject. Through this paper, an attempt is made to discuss some hormonal replacement therapies, their uses and side effects.
I. The need for hormone replacement and their various applications
The basic question in dealing with HRT is to first ascertain why it is actually needed. Hormonal replacement is required for the treatment of many disorders where the normal synthesis of a vital hormone is either malfunctioning or is not functioning at all. For instance, Levothyroxine (L-thyroxine) is used for thyroid hormone replacement in those suffering from hypothyroidism (Cygan and Rucker, 1983, p. 232). In case of menopausal women suffering from symptoms like hot flushes and night sweats, estrogen replacement therapy has largely helped in relieving the unpleasant symptoms of menopause (Barrett-Connor, 1998, p. 457). In othe...
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“High levels of hormones can cause problems in the human body, but can hormones we ingest really alter our hormone level...
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There has been conflicting research and advice about the safety of hormones with the increase in the aging female population within the last twenty years (National Institute on Aging). Hormone therapy has demonstrated to be the most effective FDA approved medication in the relief of menopausal symptoms, but these benefits must be weighed against serious adverse effects that hormones can cause. Although many women differ in their response to hormone products, MHT has been universally linked to an increased risk of heart disease, heart attack, blood clots, and strokes. Concerns about the findings discovered in the clinical and observation trials performed on MHT, have left some doctors and women hesitant in utilizing MHT to combat menopausal symptoms.
The hormone treatments either taken orally with a tablet or a synthetic cortisol injection into the shoulder
Kallenbach, J. M., Panz, V., Girson, M. S., Joffe, B. I., & Seftel, H. C. (1990). The hormonal
Associating hormones with a certain gender can be a bit of a misnomer, as women also make testosterone, although in much smaller amounts. Likewise, the liver converts some of a man’s testosterone and fat tissue into estrogen.
Because of the complexity of these interactions, a hormonal imbalance rarely stems from only one type of hormone. More often, the problem involves a series of hormones that are out of balance. In addition, a disruption in the balance of hormones produced by one gland or set of glands can cause other glands or systems to dysfunction. Before you know it, you’re feeling miserable on multiple
Zhou J, Cai ZH, Zhu XS (2009) Are Endocrine Disruptors Among the Causes of the
A deeper understanding of the mechanism through which testosterone alters growth of myocytes would allow researchers to potentially employ a treatment with the same efficacy but without the side effects. It is likely that the aging population will suffer from
The Center for Disease Control conducted a study on contraceptive use; their findings concluded “four out of five women have used birth control pills” during one point of their lives (Basset). Birth control pills have been around for over six decades, and their popularity has significantly increased during the past decade. Thousands of sexually-active women are turning to birth control pills as a way to prevent unplanned pregnancy, regulate periods, and to control acne. Nonetheless, birth control pills are synthetic hormones that influence the female body in severe ways. In fact, doctors and media are not presenting the menaces of consuming birth control pills in women; instead, they disguise the risks with commercials of synchronized swimmers. The risks of consuming these toxic pills outweigh the benefits; women must become aware of the effects birth control is having on their bodies and find alternatives to pharmaceutical contraceptives.
The only solution is to change your lifestyle in two ways. One is to eliminate the estrogen from your body and the second is to minimize its exposure.
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Estrogen and Progesterone deserve attention when it comes to women's health care as Menopause and Peri-Menopause conditions and symptoms are widely known. These two hormones begin declining by twenty-five percent in woman between thirty-five and fifty years old. A hormonal imbalance is caused by the rapid decrease during menopause which results in several symptoms that are unpleasant and increased vulnerability to things such as depression, various cancers, osteoporosis and heart disease.
While the symptoms are all the same, many different names have been attributed to menopause-like symptoms in males. Some physicians use the term “SLOH” or “Symptomatic Late Onset Hypogonadism” to describe andropause while others who prefer to label it a deficiency refer to it as ‘”ADAM” or “androgen deficiency of the male”. Whether or not andropause should be treated depends on one’s physician’s opinion on the matter. Some believe that andropause is a natural state that all aging males undergo and that it shouldn’t be treated as a medical abnormality while others believe that there are considerable positive effects of hormone therapy. Supporters of hormone therapy do not agree with the idea that lower hormone levels are simply a natural process of aging. They point out that as life expectancy has increased, so has the need to treat aging-related hormonal shifts. In order to form an opinion on whether andropause should be considered a treatable disease, it’s important to understand its physiological process and an underlying condition known as “adrenopause”.
Long-acting injectables such as the medroxyprogesterone acetate and norethisterone enantate are injections given every three months . They are highly recommended contraceptives because of its high effectivity and reversibility. Its failure rate is 1-2% and do not increase the risk of cancer for female genital tracts such as cervical cancer. It has a lot of benefits for the user such as increasing levels of blood iron and to some extent serves as a protection against inflammatory diseases and ovarian & endometrial carcinoma. On the other hand, monthly injectable consists of both estrogen and progestogen though it has shorter effectivity and results to higher costs because injection should be done more frequently. The only known side effects is changing the menstrual bleeding patterns of a woman. Norplant implants are flexible non-biodegradable tubes filled with a hormone called levornorgestrel, a ovulation preventing hormone, which is implanted under a woman’s skin. The implant relases the hormone slowly and at a constant rate for several years (“Ethics and Human Values Family Planning”). Generally the only disadvantage of Long-acting Steroid Contraception is changing the menstrual bleeding patterns and is costs much higher than any other forms of contraception. The good thing about it is that is ensure low failure rate for preventing ovulation and it does not cause serious medical