As we age, both men and women experience a natural decline in key hormones like testosterone, estrogen, and growth hormones. This gradual drop in hormones starts in our 30s and continues into old age. Some key things to know about hormone decline:
Symptoms
- Both men and women may experience symptoms like low energy, weight gain, low libido, erectile dysfunction, mood changes, loss of muscle mass, and weaker bones from hormone decline. These interfere with quality of life.
- Estrogen drop causes hot flashes, vaginal dryness, bladder issues for women; testosterone drop causes low energy, sexual dysfunction in men.
Causes
- Primary cause is simply aging. As we get older, our endocrine glands secrete lower amounts of hormones.
- Other factors like stress, sedentary lifestyle, and unhealthy diet can accelerate hormone decline.
Risks - There are some health risks associated with hormone decline:
- Bone loss - lack of estrogen is tied to osteoporosis in women.
- Heart disease - lower estrogen in women and testosterone in men increase heart disease risk.
- Diabetes - Declining testosterone in men predisposes to insulin resistance.
Treatment
- Maintaining a healthy lifestyle through diet, exercise can help mitigate hormone decline to some degree.
- For more severe deficiency, doctors may prescribe hormone replacement therapy with external estrogen, testosterone, etc to reduce symptoms and risks. This requires careful medical guidance.
- Clinics like Hormone Health Clinic offer comprehensive care including hormone testing, customized treatment plans involving bioidentical hormones, nutrition advice and followups to help people tackle age-related hormone decline. I visited their website and they seem to take a science-based approach to hormone optimization while minimizing risks.
In summary, some degree of hormone decline with aging is normal. But severe deficiencies can impact quality of life and health for both genders. Consulting a knowledgeable hormone specialist can help to slow decline and reduce associated risks. With proper guidance, hormone replacement done right can enable people to thrive through their later decades.