Understanding Hormonal Decline
As we get older, our bodies produce lower levels of regulatory hormones like estrogen and testosterone. Though it may seem that these hormones decline because of aging, the opposite is actually true.
Our hormones don’t decline because we age. We age because our hormones decline.
According to anti-aging specialist Dr. Catherine Waller, declining hormone levels tell our cells that we’re getting older, and this is what causes many of the health problems we experience with age.
“Hormonal decline turns on parts of the cell that cause the body to die,” Dr. Waller says. “We don’t want the body to get the message that this person is old, because a lot of the biochemical responses start changing.”
Many of the problems related to age are caused by declining hormone levels, and bringing those hormones back to their optimal state can slow down and even reverse many of the effects that aging has on the body.
How Do Hormones Affect Aging?
Many different hormones are involved in the aging process, like sex hormones (estrogen, testosterone and progesterone), adrenal hormones (DHEA and cortisol), thyroid hormones (T3 & T4, TSH), and metabolism and repair hormones (insulin, glucagon and growth hormone).
These hormones have a wide variety of crucial roles in our bodies and affect things like:
- Body composition
- Bone health
- Brain function
- Cellular health
- Energy levels
- Gastrointestinal health
- Growth and tissue repair
- Heart health
- Mood balance
- Muscle strength and endurance
- Sexual function
Declining hormone levels make our bodies less capable of regulating these functions. As a result, we can experience many symptoms that are often attributed to growing older, like:
- Cognitive decline
- Decreased muscle strength and endurance
- Dry skin
- Hair loss
- Hot flashes
- Insomnia
- Irregular menses
- Low energy
- Low sex drive
- Mood changes
- Weight gain
What Can You Do About Hormonal Decline?
If you notice any of the signs and symptoms above, blood and saliva tests can be used to measure your hormone levels. An anti-aging specialist can test levels of all the hormones involved in the aging process and determine if any of them may have fallen below a normal range.
Once your hormones have been measured, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) can help you return your hormones to pre-aging levels, reducing or resolving many of the problems you may be experiencing.
Understanding Hormonal Decline
As we get older, our bodies produce lower levels of regulatory hormones like estrogen and testosterone. Though it may seem that these hormones decline because of aging, the opposite is actually true.
Our hormones don’t decline because we age. We age because our hormones decline.
According to anti-aging specialist Dr. Catherine Waller, declining hormone levels tell our cells that we’re getting older, and this is what causes many of the health problems we experience with age.
“Hormonal decline turns on parts of the cell that cause the body to die,” Dr. Waller says. “We don’t want the body to get the message that this person is old, because a lot of the biochemical responses start changing.”
Many of the problems related to age are caused by declining hormone levels, and bringing those hormones back to their optimal state can slow down and even reverse many of the effects that aging has on the body.
How Do Hormones Affect Aging?
Many different hormones are involved in the aging process, like sex hormones (estrogen, testosterone and progesterone), adrenal hormones (DHEA and cortisol), thyroid hormones (T3 & T4, TSH), and metabolism and repair hormones (insulin, glucagon and growth hormone).
These hormones have a wide variety of crucial roles in our bodies and affect things like:
- Body composition
- Bone health
- Brain function
- Cellular health
- Energy levels
- Gastrointestinal health
- Growth and tissue repair
- Heart health
- Mood balance
- Muscle strength and endurance
- Sexual function
Declining hormone levels make our bodies less capable of regulating these functions. As a result, we can experience many symptoms that are often attributed to growing older, like:
- Cognitive decline
- Decreased muscle strength and endurance
- Dry skin
- Hair loss
- Hot flashes
- Insomnia
- Irregular menses
- Low energy
- Low sex drive
- Mood changes
- Weight gain
What Can You Do About Hormonal Decline?
If you notice any of the signs and symptoms above, blood and saliva tests can be used to measure your hormone levels. An anti-aging specialist can test levels of all the hormones involved in the aging process and determine if any of them may have fallen below a normal range.
Once your hormones have been measured, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) can help you return your hormones to pre-aging levels, reducing or resolving many of the problems you may be experiencing.
Though BHRT can correct many of the problems associated with hormonal decline, you can improve the outcome by:
- Measuring hormone levels at your “personal best.” If you get measurements of your hormones while you are young and healthy, it will be easier to identify the ideal levels to restore them to.
- Get help as soon as you notice symptoms. Hormonal decline can begin as early as age 20 and is easier to correct if noticed early.
“The treatment for hormonal decline is to put the hormones back in that are missing,” Dr. Waller says, adding that the hormones used during BHRT are called “bioidentical” because they are exactly like those created by the body during youth.