Comprehensive men's sexual health information, tips and news about men's sexual health.

posted by admin on May 8

‘What I felt wasn’t just ordinary itching. I felt as if insects were crawling around on my skin, especially around my abdomen. I would wake up in the night itching like mad, which was another reason I didn’t sleep so well.’

‘An unexpected benefit of HRT has been that my skin has looked so much better. It was beginning to get noticeably thinner, and quite dry and flaky, and that in itself made me suddenly feel about 10 years older – but I’m not trying to look like a film star!’

Improved skin texture is a visible — and welcome — result of taking hormone replacement therapy.

Skin consists of two principal parts: a thin outer layer called the epidermis, and a thicker lower layer called the dermis. Within the dermis is a substance called collagen, and this becomes thinner as oestrogen levels fall, causing the skin as a whole to become thinner. This could be because collagen increases the moisture content of the skin and ‘fills it out’. Collagen is lost from the dermis most rapidly in the years immediately after the final period, with up to 30 per cent being lost in the first five years, and about 2 per cent a year after that.

As the thickness of the skin depends on its collagen content, skin condition is related more to the number of years since the menopause than to actual age. Once oestrogen is restored, the collagen starts to increase; where conditions such as thin skin, dry flaky skin, and skin that becomes easily bruised are caused by low oestrogen they are almost always reversible within the first six months of taking HRT. This improvement doesn’t continue indefinitely, and balances out after about two years of treatment. However, although skin texture improves significantly, there is no evidence that HRT slows the development of wrinkles!

Not only can good skin improve a woman’s self-esteem, it can also be an indication of the state her bones are in. Collagen is also present in bone and, if collagen is being lost visibly from the skin, it is also probably being lost invisibly from the bones. Women with transparent skin are much more likely to have osteoporosis than women with opaque skin. If your skin appears to be getting noticeably thinner, it might be a good idea to talk to your doctor about osteoporosis.

A skin condition that quite a few women suffer from during the early days of the menopause is known as formication. The name comes from the Latin formica, meaning ‘ant’, which aptly describes the feeling you may get of insects crawling just underneath or on top of your skin. It doesn’t produce a rash, but the itching can be maddening, and can wake you up in the night. Formication is probably caused by changes in the nerve endings, and the condition can be helped by HRT.

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posted by admin on Apr 21

You should be educating your daughters now about the need to eat nutritious foods rich in calcium. The recommended daily calcium intake for girls of eight to eleven is 900 mg (boys need 800 mg), which is equivalent to three or four daily serves of calcium-rich food (one serve can be 250 mL milk, 200 g yoghurt or 35 g cheese). Girls aged twelve to fifteen years should have around 1000 mg daily (boys 1200 mg), which is four to five serves of calcium-rich food. For women aged sixteen to fifty, three serves daily or 800 mg of calcium-rich food suffice (the same for men of all ages), and from fifty onwards women should increase their intake of calcium-rich foods to four or five serves (1000-1500 mg).

It is also important to remember that the growth patterns of boys and girls vary, with girls starting their spurt at around the age of eleven and boys later, at around thirteen. So an eleven-year-old girl will probably be eating more than her twelve-year-old brother. It’s important to realise this, otherwise parents may be critical of a daughter’s appetite.

Girls also tend to be excessively concerned about the amount of body fat they acquire during adolescence. They need reassurance that fat on breasts, legs and hips is normal. Otherwise they may turn to fad diets or excessive exercise and quickly become deficient in energy, protein, calcium and iron. In extreme cases this may lead to anorexia nervosa. Regular moderate exercise will improve appearance, even if it means gaining weight in terms of muscle.

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posted by admin on Apr 21

Vaginal lubricating compounds such as K-Y jelly, and new hormone-free substances that last for several days and are not messy (such as Replens), are helpful. You can also make use of’male dew’, the natural lubricant from the tip of the penis. Masturbation, either alone or with your partner, can also help to promote

lubrication. Although frowned on in some religious circles, masturbation is widely regarded as a healthy way to handle sexual needs and expression with or without a partner. Some couples find that a hand-held vibrator and sexually stimulating magazines or videos also help. Think about your range of sexual positions. Be adventurous in trying new ones, bearing in mind that some will put less stress on vaginal tissues that would otherwise tend to be hurt by penetration. A woman on top, for example, has increased control of the situation. She should also take plenty of initiative in the type and duration of love-making and ensure that she is completely comfortable throughout.

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posted by admin on Apr 21

Mood-altering medications such as antidepressants, antipsychotics and benzodiazepines (for example, Clozapine and Diazepam) can also contribute to bone problems. Elderly patients taking these medications are more likely to have falls and fractures’. The medications may add blood pressure changes and physical instability to existing vision problems, poor flexibility, and depleted muscle mass and strength.

As mentioned briefly, osteoporosis is more likely in women who have an early surgical removal of their ovaries, a hysterectomy without removal of the ovaries or a premature natural menopause (before the age of forty). In addition, you may be more likely to get osteoporosis if you have had anorexia nervosa, exercised so much at some time that your menstrual periods stopped for six or more months (known as amenor-rhoea), used steroids over a long period (for example, to treat asthma or arthritis) or been confined to bed for some months, perhaps because of a serious accident.

Bobbi was in her early fifties when she fractured her wrist after slipping on some wet grass. Her medical history included a three-year period of anorexia nervosa in her twenties, together with smoking throughout her adult years, so a DEXA investigation was ordered. This revealed a worryingly low bone density, which prompted Bobbi to quit smoking, improve her diet and start treatment with HRT. A bone density measurement two years later indicated that the deterioration of Bobbi’s bones had been arrested.

The most important factor of all in determining your risk of osteoporosis is the genes that control the way your body functions, and that may conspire with neglect of weight-bearing exercise, smoking, or a low calcium intake. If genetic vulnerability is combined with any other risk factor, the likelihood of osteoporosis multiplies. Attempts to put figures on these risks have proved controversial.

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posted by admin on Apr 21

Women who are starting HRT for the first time some years after their menopause (whether it occurs naturally or as a result of medical treatment) should always be prescribed natural forms of oestrogen, and the dose should be low initially and increased slowly if necessary. Start low and go slow is a wise motto for any hormone therapy. Examples of widely used natural and synthetic oestrogens, and the typical dosage range, are listed on page 175.

Lydia was sixty-two when she went onto HRT with a view to halting a worrying deterioration in bone density. This had been diagnosed by comparing the results of bone density scans performed when she was fifty-nine and then three years later. She was prescribed a dose of oestrogen usually given to women immediately after the menopause and developed sore breasts, excessive nipple sensitivity and nausea. Her doctor should have started her on a lower dose and slowly increased it over a period of three to six months. When Lydia was prescribed a natural oestrogen at a low dose, she experienced no worrying side effects, and for her this was a sufficient dose to stabilise bone density.

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