Adrenal Hormone Chills Menopause Symptoms, Heats Sex Life

The latest news from the International Menopause Society, that’s right, the International Menopause Society, suggests that a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands can ease unpleasant symptoms of menopause and, not incidentally, improve women’s sex lives. An IMO press release reports that researchers at the University of Pisa followed a group of 48 postmenopausal women with troubling symptoms for a period of a year. Twelve of the women were given vitamin D and calcium (to help prevent osteoporosis), and the remaining 36 women were split into three groups; one group was given a low dose of the adrenal hormone DHEA, one was given a standard Hormone Replacement Therapy (oestrogen plus progesterone), and one was given the synthetic steroid, tibolone. After one year, all women receiving the hormone replacements showed improvements in menopausal symptoms, while those taking vitamin D and Calcium did not. And now the news: at the start of the trial, all groups had similar sexual activity, but after one year, the women taking calcium and vitamin D showed a McCoy score of 34.9, whereas women taking DHEA showed a McCoy score of 48.6, indicating that women taking DHEA had a statistically significant elevation in sexual interest and activity. The researchers found that both the HRT group and the DHEA group showed a higher level of sexual intercourse compared to the control group. And while activity was also higher with tibolone, it was not statistically significant. Read more from the International Menopause Society.