Sexual Health

By Andrew Kantor

Women have been dealing with menopause for a couple of hundred thousand years, and yet there’s still a bit of a stigma talking about it, the effects it can have on a woman’s body, and ways to help alleviate some of those negative issues.

Worse, as this article in the Atlantic explains, many gynecologists will try to solve everything with estrogen (or, if they’re British, oestrogen). Since the 1960s it’s been the go-to magic bullet for women in and after menopause.

Reality, though, is more complex — and we’ve learned a lot since the ’60s. Still, though, the lack of a “frank approach to sexuality” for both people born female and those who have transitioned there has kept many from realizing the benefits of other hormones. (Ironically, trans women often get better care when it comes to hormones.)

The point

BY GREG MCKETTRICK, RPH

Clinical Liaison – Men’s Health, Revelation Pharma

The concept of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) dates back to the early 1900s. Observations of behavioral changes in castrated roosters formed the foundation of what we know to be hypogonadism or “low T.” The concept of “treat like with like” spurred research and by the mid 1930s, testosterone synthesis began. ⁽¹⁾

During the 1930s, we saw the initiation of TRT with testosterone propionate injections as well as subcutaneous testosterone pellets.⁽²⁾ By the mid 1940s, researchers had identified multiple indicators of low testosterone including depression, failing memory, increased fatigability, and reduced libido. We now apply that early research, with improved understanding of physiology and the aging process, to successfully treat millions of men who experience the unwanted effects of low testosterone.

For years, men were prescribed testosterone

BY ANDREW KANTOR

Morning sickness is all about the hormones. That part isn’t surprising, but what’s newsworthy is that USC researchers say they’ve discovered exactly which hormone it is — and (potentially) what can be done about it.

The hormone is called GDF15, and it’s produced by the fetus; it surges in the first trimester.

“[T]he baby growing in the womb is producing a hormone at levels the mother is not used to. The more sensitive she is to this hormone, the sicker she will become. Knowing this gives us a clue as to how we might prevent this from happening.”

Some women are especially sensitive to GDF15 and can have morning sickness that requires hospitalization. (Looking at you, Catherine, Princess of Wales.) Other woman have a genetic blood disorder that gives them chronically

BY ANDREW KANTOR

Vaginal yeast infections are often caused by a specific yeast called Candida albicans. And British researchers found an interesting bit of information about it.

Candida albicans needs zinc to survive. When it doesn’t get enough, it tries to find more by producing a molecule called Pra1. And it’s Pra1 that triggers the inflammatory response that leads to thrush.

In other words,