Category Archives: Hormone Replacement Therapy

HRT replaces hormones that are at a lower level as women approach the menopause. The main benefit of HRT is that it can help relieve most of the menopausal symptoms, such as hot flushes, night sweats, mood swings vaginal dryness and reduced sex drive. Now experts at Yale University in the US have revealed hormone replacement pills could boost sex drive through the menopause. Scientists said they are more effective than pills. Dr Chris Steele joined hosts Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes on This Morning to talk about the new research. This is research done on HRT patches rather than a pill, he said. They said it can improve sex life after the menopause. He said some women can find their sex lives are affected after the menopause. The patch was deemed better than the tablets, Dr Chris added. The GP said a patch could be more effective because hormones are released directly into the blood stream and a tablet has to be broken down by the liver before it is effective. Dr Chris added: There was an improvement in vaginal soreness and dryness which is extremely common in the menopause. Overall quality of life improved. Ruth questioned if women … Continue reading →

Beauty Beyond Binaries is a biweekly column about the intersection of beauty and identity on allure.com by writer, TV host, and activist Janet Mock. Since I began Beauty Beyond Binaries in May, Ive written essays that explore many aspects of beauty, from the concepts of pretty privilege and using self-preservation as a form of protest to my personal triggers around haircuts. Though I love being able to express myself and share my experiences, Ive also been eager to bring voices beyond my own into this space. It is part of the reason I made RuPauls Drag Race finalist Peppermint our first BBB profile subject (I have more to come!), and why Ive requested your voices. In an effort to include even more perspectives, my editors and I asked readers on Allures Instagram account and my Facebook page for their most pressing questions, spanning hair care to self-care. While I am not a beauty or health care professional, I have navigated my way through pervasive beauty standards and personal style, as well as the tangles and dryness of my curly fro. I hope that sharing how I got through or am continuing to get through will be helpful to you. Below … Continue reading →

As the White House continues to push its ban on transgender military members, we must take a stand to support and celebrate our trans and gender non-conforming (TGNC) communities. Its not just about being united to fight the bad and exclusive policies, but also every movement including the movement for paid leave should take steps to center TGNC experiences and ensure that laws and policies are inclusive of the needs of TGNC individuals and their loved ones. Two years ago this month, the National Center for Transgender Equality launched the most ambitious survey to date to capture the experiences of TGNC individuals in the United States. Released in December 2016, the 2015 U.S. Trans Survey (USTS) contains the largest amount of data that currently exists about TGNC Americans. Among dozens of findings related to housing, employment, military service, and more, the USTS found several health-related disparities that TGNC Americans experience, with particular impacts on TGNC individuals of color. As leaders in the paid sick and safe time and paid family and medical leave movements, we are fighting for inclusive workplace leave policies that will support TGNC individuals who continue to experience health disparities due to systemic discrimination. For TGNC individuals … Continue reading →

A harrowing patient experience inspired this woman to launch two startups, Fertile Matters and Intelligent Hormones, in a bid to help other women navigate two key stages of life with improved hormone monitoring. By Candice Helfand-Rogers Marje Isabelle of Fertile Matters and Intelligent Hormones. (Credit: Marje Isabelle) Editors note: This article is part of a series spotlighting female medical entrepreneurs who serve other women. Marje Isabelles entrepreneurial journey began with a cancer diagnosis. She was 35, in the midst of a thriving career in London and trying to conceive a child with her husband when she learned she had uterine and ovarian cancer. That was the start of a lengthy, painful and formative ordeal. Over the course of the next 2 years, Isabelles battle with cancer took her through a partial hysterectomy, in vitro fertilization, a preventative surgery to remove her remaining ovary, surrogate pregnancy and early menopause. That harrowing, roller-coaster experience showed Isabelle firsthand the dearth of effective treatment options for women struggling with both fertility complications and menopause symptoms. And it exposed her to the blatant insensitivity some women face while seeking treatment. At one point, a male gynecologist who was treating her told her that if a … Continue reading →

Share Share Share Email A Korean-American trans swimmer has been inspiring people with his story of change a journey that does not happen overnight but takes takes time, effort, perseverance, and, most importantly, self-love. Schuyler Bailar, a decorated swimmer, first made headlines when he earned a spot on the mens team at Harvard University. Bailar, a Psychology major, was originally recruited to swim for the universitys womens team in 2013. After graduating from D.C.s Georgetown Day School, he was set to start as a freshman at Harvard in fall 2014, but took a year off to receive treatment for serious eating disorders which his mother Terry revealed as anorexia and bulimia in an interview with CBS News. Bailar eventually recognized that his eating disorders were triggered by being uncomfortable in a womans body. It was during his period of recovery that he identified as a man. He soon came out, and things turned for the better. With complete support from his parents, he underwent breast removal surgery in March 2015 and started hormone replacement therapy in June of the same year. Bailars transition made history, as he became the first openly transgender swimmer in the history of the NCAA. In … Continue reading →

Dr. Omar P. Haqqanifor the Daily News Dr. Omar P. Haqqani Dr. Omar P. Haqqani Haqqani:Cardiovascular health in women Part two In part 1 of our series addressing cardiovascular health in women, we discussed the three most significant risk factors in developing cardiovascular disease. This week, we focus on the two deadliest cardiovascular events that can result from CVD, which are heart attacks and strokes. Heart Attacks Heart attacks are often viewed as something that primarily strike men; however, nearly a quarter million women a year die from them. That is 5 times higher than the number of deaths resulting from breast cancer. In order to reduce occurrences of this cardiac event, women should be aware that a heart attack does not always feel the same in females as it does in men. The typical heart attack signs -- severe chest pain radiating down one arm or extreme shortness of breath -- can certainly occur in women, but many times, their symptoms are much more subtle. They include: Chest pain or discomfort that feels more like a fullness or squeezing throughout the chest rather than sharp, severe pain on the left side. Pain in your back, neck or jaw that … Continue reading →

My male cat is 1 year old and has been neutered. Recently he started mounting another cat in the house and other objects. We are wondering if the vet didn't do a good job neutering him and he may still have some male hormones. Is there a test we can do to see? Although this behavior may be unusual and make you uncomfortable, it may be normal. Neutered, male cats may show mounting behaviors for one of three reasons: remaining testicular tissue after a neuter, the exposure to topical hormones or due to normal but unusual acts of behavior. The first step is to have your cat examined by a veterinarian. There are very specific changes that are seen in intact male cats over a year of age that you will not see in a male cat that is neutered. The smell of his urine can also be an indication of whether or not he is neutered. If the veterinarian feels that these changes are present, there is a blood test that can be run to see if hormone levels are consistent with remaining testicular tissue. It would be very unusual for a veterinarian to neuter a cat and not … Continue reading →

Media playback is unsupported on your device Transgender people will be able to access specialist healthcare in Wales at a new gender identity clinic to be built in Cardiff. Health Secretary Vaughan Gething said there had been an increase in demand for services. The clinic will be supported by a network of GPs, who have a specialist interest in gender care, including hormone replacement therapy. Equality charity Stonewall Cymru said it was a "big step forward". Currently, transgender patients in Wales are referred to the Gender Identity Clinic (GIC) in London, adding to the time and cost it takes to access healthcare. The Welsh Government hopes the new service would mean less travelling, improved waiting times and better user experience. It will also ensure current clinic capacity is freed up for those requiring more specialised services, as well as shortening the steps between initial referral and beginning treatment. Crash Wigley, policy and campaigns officer for Stonewall Cymru, said getting the clinic had been a "long fight" for patients to access "potentially lifesaving care" in Wales. "Before this there was no provision of gender identity services in Wales, so in order to access the care that people needed they had to … Continue reading →

It's an increasing trend among men. By Paul Adler Published: 2017.08.23 02:01 fotolia/davidteamen As men age, their testosterone levels naturally dip potentially ushering in a host of negative effects including decreased sex drive and muscle mass. Testosterone therapy has risen over the last few decades to fill the gap, but many men wonder when it is time to worry and what the drawbacks of such treatments could be. We asked Michael Werner, MD, the medical director at the Purchase-based Maze Mens Sexual and Reproductive Health when testosterone replacement is truly necessary and what it really entails. According to Werner, there are a host of symptoms to watch out for when you are worried you may have low levels of the hormone. Men should seek medical help when they [exhibit] some of the symptoms of low testosterone, he says. These include decreased interest in sex, worsening erections, decreased energy, lack of mental focus or fogginess, and difficulty taking off fat and putting on muscle However, Werner insists that the decision of whether or not a man needs testosterone replacement should be made with his doctor. Werner adds that once the diagnosis that an individuals testosterone levels are low has been made, … Continue reading →

Pictured Above:Lynette and Rachel I took a vacation with my girlfriend, Rachel, to her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio right at the time I started hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Rachel has been a wonderful place of support during all this. She and I communicate a lot and its what makes our partnership so strong. We met last summer, and it was only a couple weeks in that I told her about what I was planning to do with my life and what it would mean for us to be a couple, that she would be dating a man actively transitioning into a woman. By then Id figured out how to make a difficult conversation routine. Until beginning transitioning, I never shared this aspect of myself with anyone except relationship partners. Out of respect for the person Im attracted to, its only fair for them to know the direction my life is headed. I used to start with sharing that Im a person living with dysphoria and still figuring out what that means. I chose not to adopt labels until recently, having started transitioning. I tried to be detailed about my side, but also give the other person every chance to express … Continue reading →