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20 Signs You May Need Hormone Replacement Therapy

Women: Heavy, irregular, or painful menstrual cycles

Women: Heavy, irregular, or painful menstrual cycles

This symptom is very common for many women who suffer from hormone imbalance. If you have dysmenorrhoea (the technical term) you are not alone. Studies show that 80% of women experience period pain, and you can suffer from period pain from your early teens right up to menopause. In 5% to 10% of women, the pain is severe enough to disrupt their life.

Men and Women: Hair loss and breakage

Men and Women: Hair loss and breakage

For many years it was believed that hair loss was a distinctly male problem, but today, we know approximately 40% of the estimated 56 million people suffering from hair loss in America are women. Both male and female hair loss appears to have a genetic component, and this inheritance is not based solely on the female parent as was once thought. According to the most recent research, the genetic backgrounds of both parents play a significant role in pattern hair loss.

Men and Women: Decreased Libido

Men and Women: Decreased Libido

According to one review, the reported rates of intimacy problems in postmenopausal women are between 68 % and 86%. This range is much higher than for women in general, which is estimated to be between 25% and 63%. Low libido may not be as common in men; it affects about 15% to 16% of men.

Men and Women: Sleep problems

Men and Women: Sleep problems

While eight hours a night is ideal for both genders, men are harder hit by periods of sleep deprivation. Lack of sleep causes work performance to suffer more for men than for women, and men recover less quickly from lack of sleep than women do. On the other hand, women are more likely to have a dip in energy at night, which could explain why there's an increased risk of work-related injuries in female night-shift workers. Sleep problems are often linked to depression and anxiety.

Men and Women: Fatigue

Men and Women: Fatigue

The number one chief complaint by middle-aged patients, both men and women, is extreme fatigue. Many have tried vacations, spas, energy boosters, but nothing seems to work. The number one cause for injury in the workplace is physical or mental fatigue.

Men and Women: Excessive sweating, night sweats, and hot flashes

Men and Women: Excessive sweating, night sweats, and hot flashes

Sweating or flushing can be seen with several hormone disorders, including pheochromocytoma, carcinoid syndrome, and hyperthyroidism. Hot flashes and night sweats are typically associated with women in menopause, but men can experience hot flashes and night sweats, too. Night sweats in men are sometimes linked to low levels of testosterone, or "low T."

Men and Women: Excessive acne

Men and Women: Excessive acne

Many women begin to experience 'hormonal' acne in their 40s and 50s. You may still experience menopausal acne even if you're using hormone replacement therapies (HRT). Men using anabolic steroids, a testosterone substance, can also experience increased bouts of acne. Beginning with middle age, testosterone levels steadily decline every year and are accountable for the changes in men's skin.

Men and Women: Weight gain

Men and Women: Weight gain

A reduction in testosterone level, common in men as they reach middle age, causes men to pile on the pounds as they leave their 40s and enter their 50s. For women during menopause, the adrenal glands take over sex-hormone production as the ovaries begin to give out. If you have high stress levels, your adrenal glands will be busy using their reserves to make more cortisol than produce sex hormones. When cortisol levels are constantly elevated, your blood sugar will be affected, which could result in mid-region weight gain.

Men and Women: Mood changes

Men and Women: Mood changes

As hormone levels begin to drop or spike in both partners, this can be a very chaotic time. Between lack of sleep and a host of other conditions, mood swings, depression, anxiety, and many other behavioral health issues arise in both men and women. Women become over emotional whereas men can become more 'distant' emotionally, which also creates conflict.

Men and Women: Osteoporosis

Men and Women: Osteoporosis

Women tend to have smaller, thinner bones than men. Estrogen is a hormone in women that protects bones, and this hormone decreases sharply when women reach menopause. This can cause bone loss. Although American men see osteoporosis solely as a "woman's disease," it poses a significant threat to millions of men in the United States.

Men and Women: Decreased mental ability

Men and Women: Decreased mental ability

In one study, researchers found that 60% of middle-aged, menopausal women report difficulty concentrating and other issues with cognition. Andropause, or male menopause, is when hormone levels drop in men. Androgen deficiency in aging men has numerous effects on their cognitive behavior. A study with 302 participants, 98% of whom were above 40 years of age, and 72% were between 60-80 years of age, showed that memory loss, weakness, and erectile dysfunction were the most common symptom.

Women: Extreme mood swings

Women: Extreme mood swings

People Love to joke about PMS, but did you know there's more to this 'syndrome' than those days before your period? Turns out, your menstrual cycle affects your body and spirit all month long. This is because women's reproductive system is regulated by progesterone and estrogen, and when either of those levels become abnormal, then moods become out of balance. But it's not just the balance between the two hormones that affect our mood; there is also lifestyle, diet, stress, habits and other environmental factors that can cause mood swings. 

Women: Very dry skin

Women: Very dry skin

Dry skin, also called xeroderma, can have many causes, such as using heat during winter, inadequate hydration, swimming in a chlorinated pool, our jobs, etc. Seek medical care if you notice redness, itching that interferes with sleep, develop large areas of scaling or peeling skin.

Women: Breast tenderness

Women: Breast tenderness
Breast pain, or mastalgia, is a common condition among women. Various hormones cause changes in breast tissue that can lead to pain and discomfort. Pain linked with the menstrual cycle tends to subside during or after your period. A variety of common factors can cause breast pain, but two of the most common causes are hormone fluctuation and fibrocystic (lumpy) breasts.

Women: Indigestion, constipation, and diarrhea

Women: Indigestion, constipation, and diarrhea

Indigestion can have many common causes such as eating and drinking too much, food intolerance, or taking medications on an empty stomach. You should seek medical care if you experience symptoms that last more than two weeks, have difficulty swallowing, lose your appetite or unintentionally lose weight. Although it does sound strange, another common complaint is constipation and diarrhea.

Men: Low sperm count

Men: Low sperm count

Unlike menopause in women, when hormone production stops completely, testosterone decline is a slower process for men. A healthy man may be able to make sperm well into his 80s or later. However, subtle changes in the function of the testes may occur as early as age 45 to 50 and more dramatically after the age of 70 in some men.

Men: Erectile dysfunction

Men: Erectile dysfunction

Having erection trouble from time to time isn't a cause for concern. However, if ED is an ongoing issue, it can cause stress, affect your self-confidence, and contribute to relationship problems. Problems getting or keeping an erection can also be a sign of an underlying health condition that needs treatment and a risk factor for heart disease.

Men: Decreased muscle strength and muscle mass

Men: Decreased muscle strength and muscle mass

Physically inactive people can lose as much as 3% to 5% of their muscle mass each decade after age 30. Even if you are active, you'll still have some muscle loss. The cause is age-related sarcopenia, and there is no test or specific level of muscle mass that will diagnose sarcopenia. Any loss of muscle matters because it lessens strength and mobility.

Men: Joint pain and muscle aches

Men: Joint pain and muscle aches

Joint pain and muscle aches can have many causes, including overuse, lack of use, sprains or strains. Seek medical care if you have swelling or redness in joints or muscles, feel warmth around the joint, struggle to move or unable to move the joint. Consult a physician immediately if muscle pain worsens with exercise and resolves with rest, or you experience extreme muscle weakness. 

Men: Depression and anxiety

Men: Depression and anxiety

It's important to remember that depression and anxiety are not a normal part of aging – they're a health issue just like any other. Male depression is a serious medical condition, but many men try to ignore it or refuse treatment. Do you feel irritable, isolated or withdrawn? Do you find yourself working or drinking too much? These unhealthy coping strategies are clues that you may have male depression. For a number of reasons, male depression can have devastating consequences when it goes untreated.