As men also have hormones, men should not be treated any worse than women concerning a hormone deficiency. What exactly does that mean?
Within the medical profession, you often encounter the mistaken idea that a hormone replacement therapy for men only needs to raise testosterone levels, because that’s the main male hormone.
It’s true that testosterone is especially important for men, but nature also provided men with the other two hormones – which are of vital importance for a number of bodily functions.
So, men have testosterone as well as estrogen and progesterone.
Even the way hormones act in men’s and women’s bodies is almost completely identical – apart from sex differences.
Testosterone in men (10x higher than in women)
- muscular system (muscle mass is built up = anabolic effect)
- libido/erection
- activity, “aggressive behavior”
- male hair growth, voice
- male stature (physique), etc.
With men, testosterone is converted into DHT (dihydrotestosterone). The effect of DHT is significantly stronger than that of testosterone.
However, DHT can stimulate prostate growth; an already enlarged prostate could grow even bigger. Progesterone protects it by inhibiting the conversion from testosterone to DHT.
For that reason, PSA levels should be determined BEFORE and during testosterone treatment.
However, we do NOT recommend taking testosterone to start with because that could lead to the endogenous production of testosterone from progesterone being suppressed. That would result in testosterone having to be taken permanently or else it would take quite a long period of time (usually longer than half a year) until natural testosterone biosynthesis from progesterone would start up again.
So, generally speaking, you should only consider taking testosterone (in the form of bioidentical hormones!) when progesterone levels have been sufficient for at least half a year (3-10 ng/ml). That’s the only way you can be sure that your body has enough progesterone to be able to produce testosterone.
Progesterone in men
Progesterone PROTECTS the prostate! For one thing, by also reducing inflammation in your prostate. For another, by inhibiting the conversion of testosterone into DHT (see above). Thus – as long as there is enough progesterone available – LESS DHT is produced, which in turn is good for your prostate.
- Furthermore, progesterone in men (just as in women) has an anti-inflammatory effect, i.e. against bacteria and viruses.
- It can inhibit the growth of cancer cells (apoptosis). This effect is even intensified if there is also estradiol present.
- Progesterone stimulates your body’s metabolism (fat burning) and thus provides you with energy.
- It enables you to think straight, makes you assertive, provides you with a feeling of inner security, stability and confidence.
- Progesterone gives you a good, sound sleep.
Estradiol in men
Similar to the way it acts in women, estrogen also stimulates men’s mucous membranes – not only at the genitalia, but also in the intestines, nose, eyes – and even in our joints!
Surprisingly enough, it’s the estrogen deficiency that is one of the reasons for all those “little complaints” all over, why for some reason suddenly everything is sore!
- estrogen is also a very important factor regarding the flexibility and elasticity of your heart and vessels and can thus prevent you from having a heart attack, stroke or high blood pressure.
- estrogen is crucial for the maturation of sperm cells – without estrogen, there’s no fertility!
- estrogen stabilizes your bones (just as it does with women)
- estrogen makes belly fat disappear
- estrogen strengthens your senses, makes us sensual and let’s us enjoy life!
“Men’s problems”
1. Prostate and human-identical hormones
As we already explained above in the context of hormonal effects, progesterone protects the prostate.
For one thing, because progesterone has a direct anti-inflammatory effect. Your prostate, in particular, benefits from that, because prostate changes usually begin with inflammation.
So, if progesterone makes you less prone to inflammation, then you are in general less likely to develop prostate diseases if you show good progesterone levels.
In addition, progesterone inhibits testosterone being converted into DHT (see above). That in turn inhibits prostate growth – which is the reason why young men hardly ever have problems with their prostate in spite of usually having extremely high testosterone levels!
We therefore also fill up progesterone levels with men – for at least half a year at a sufficient level.
2. Erection (and erection problems)
When we are young, our hormone levels, especially testosterone levels, are very high and even a small stimulus is enough to have a good erection.
But already from when you are 27-30 years of age, testosterone levels start to drop, approx. 1-3% a year, so that a fifty-year-old man has roughly 40-50% less testosterone, a sixty-year-old 60-70% less!
However, because of the fact that men’s hormone levels decrease very gradually over the course of many years, the symptoms of a hormone deficiency are often NOT interpreted as signs of a hormone deficiency and are thus not treated appropriately.
But when at the age of 50 or 60 years it is no longer possible to ignore the changes, often, no direct cause can be found. That then often leads to disappointing calls to your doctor, who “can’t find anything”, but can only diagnose “age-appropriate” symptoms.
But men know exactly that something is not quite right (any more)!
They often notice that they have become less efficient, that work is more stressful (stress levels), that suddenly they can feel their heart, that they have less vitality, vigor and energy.
Sometimes there is fatigue/exhaustion/burnout, weight increase, sleep does not restore us as well as it used to – and men also experience problems having an erection.
What does therapy according to the Rimkus Method with bioidentical hormones look like?
We will perform a comprehensive checkup. While doing so, we will also analyze the autonomic nervous system (internal control and regulation as well as repair).
We will talk about “stress” and about coping with stress and will also determine ALL sex hormone levels.
Should it turn out that you have a hormone deficiency (or other disorder), hormone levels will be individually raised (with personally suited prescriptions).
That will ease the symptoms of the deficiency, heart trouble and insomnia will disappear and vitality, vigor and your good mood will gradually come back.
What’s important is that we exclusively use hormones whose structure is IDENTICAL to that of human hormones (NO hormone derivates, which have a modified structure.)
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