Recovering the sexy years

Remember Suzanne Sommers? She was America TV’s sweetheart from the late ‘70s till the early ‘80s, when Sarah Jessica Parker was just a wisp of a child and Sex and the City would have been considered pornographic. Her TV show, Three’s Company, with the irreplaceable comic John Ritter, and brunette Joyce de Witt, was a wholesome and usually hilarious sitcom about two women sharing an apartment with a man who had to pretend he was gay, though he was not. This TV series lasted till the late ‘80s but Suzanne stayed only for 90 episodes as she opted to do other things more meaningful to her life, like writing books on fitness, alcoholic addiction, dealing with hormonal changes, spiritual growth and other topics relevant to women and men as well.

I was really blessed to have been seated between her and her husband (and soul mate) Alan Hamel at a dinner party on a recent trip abroad. I am not being ironic in using the word "blessed" at having been seated with them, either. I say it with sincerity as I learned so much from the two of them. I felt like I was attending a special medical forum, especially organized for me and me alone.
I did not know what to say to her when we were first introduced, so I thought fast and said, "Three’s Company was my favorite sitcom!" That did it! I touched the right button and we were instant friends! Of course, I also mentioned her TV and video fitness programs and her books that I saw at Barnes and Noble. I could not flatter her by saying I had read them, because I had not. But she did not take offense at this. Instead she encouraged me to read her last one, The Sexy Years, which is really interesting for men and women above 40. It’s all about the years when women and men, too, go through that difficult passage of life when their hormones go out of whack. For women it’s called "menopause" and for men it’s called "andropause." I vaguely recalled having heard this word, andropause, so her husband Alan enlightened me about this condition.

What is andropause or male menopause? Alan says that between the ages of 35 and 60, men can experience a phenomenon similar to the female menopause. They experience a decline in testosterone levels, which is the male hormone. For women it is estrogen. Starting at 30, male testosterone drops by 10 percent every decade. Some men’s hormone levels dip lower than others. And when this happens, men experience andropausal symptoms like: low sex drive and libido; changes in attitudes and moods; physical fatigue; decreased physical agility and decreased energy; decreased erectile function; decreased orgasm strength and frequency; decreased muscle mass and loss of muscle strength; and weight increase and increase in upper-body fat.

Alan cited his friends as examples and told me that most of them had very low sexual libido. One of them even lost a few inches in height and a lot of body mass during this andropausal period. He advised them to go to an endocrinologist to have their hormone levels tested and take whatever hormones the doctor prescribed. These should be bio-identical hormones – natural hormones that are found in our bodies but which are depleted by the aging process.

As for menopause, Suzanne described it scientifically as she went through her own with a lot of pain and discomfort. This drove her to thoroughly research the subject. Menopause, she claimed, should no longer be feared. Women don’t have to go through sweaty nights, bitchiness, mood swings, drying up, or sexless years anymore. When she takes the bio-identical hormones prescribed by her endocrinologist, she can enjoy her sexuality like she did in her younger years.

What are bio-identical hormones"?

Bio-identical hormones are manufactured to match the molecular structure of hormones made by your own body. By contrast, synthetic hormones are intentionally different. Drug companies can’t patent a bio-identical structure so they invent synthetic hormones that are patent-able, like premarin, prempro and provera.

The approach is very individualized. Through laboratory tests of a person’s hormone levels (a so—called "hormone panel"), a precise dosage of bio-identical estrogen, testosterone or DHEA is created at a compounding pharmacy. Each patient is then monitored carefully through regular follow-up hormone panels to ensure that they get relief at the lowest possible dosage. In the initial stages, a hormone panel is done every three months. When balance is restored, an animal test is recommended.

Bio-identical hormones are supposed to be better and safer than synthetic hormones because they are natural and our bodies can metabolize them well, minimizing side effects. Synthetic hormones are quite strong and sometimes produce intolerable side effects. Moreover, the compounded bio-identical hormones can be matched individually to a person’s needs, which is impossible with mass-produced products. Alan and Suzanne emphasized that taking bio-identical hormones is not the fountain of youth. One still has to eat well, exercise and live a healthy lifestyle.

Suzanne and Alan claimed they planned to stay on these bio-identical hormones for life to enjoy each other in more ways than one.

I was so thankful to Alan and Suzanne for this most informative conversation. As we said good-bye, I promised go to the nearest bookstore and get a copy of Suzanne’s book The Sexy Years. Don’t we all wish to recover our sexy years?