On Lisa Todd's 45 th birthday, she received a trip to Hawaii and a sex toy with seven settings and three-page instructions.
The vibrating toy, an excessive color.
Ripe tomatoes, see a lot of action.
The same is true of its new owners.
"I have always liked sex and sex has always loved me," Todd said . " Todd is a university professor whose office walls are covered with the kind of prints that frame the degree and dentist's lounge likes.
"I 've been with my husband for 10 years, but for the most part of my adult life, having sex two or three times a day is pretty standard.
The real swingfrom-the-chandeliers-
She added, typing in a voice that is neither joking nor exaggerated.
But almost a year after Todd's 45 th birthday, the bright red sex toy slowly disappeared behind her bedside drawer.
Todd said: "One morning, when I woke up, I was scared not only when I thought about sex, but also when I thought about my husband's touch, which once excited me . " Todd moved from Auckland three years ago.
"I changed from a very high sexual impulse to a feeling that I never thought about having sex again.
"What is the reason for Todd's sexual indifference?
The beginning of menopause, or as Todd described, "sexual impulses and dry downhill slides --up hormones".
"It's like someone hangs a curtain on me, thick as fog, thick as cement, draining my life --force.
My strength has completely disappeared, and my energy and ability to concentrate have disappeared.
I was also deeply depressed.
"Todd's doctor prescribed hormone replacement therapy, a drug that replaces the female hormones that the body no longer produces after menopause.
It helps with night sweats, hot flashes, weight gain and lack of attention, but doesn't help much with her sexual desire.
This change deeply affected Todd and her marriage.
"It's not just about not having sex, menopause is depriving me of the feeling of being a woman, just as part of my life is shut down.
As for my poor husband, he had no idea what had happened.
"One day, Todd overheard a woman talking about testosterone in the gym.
She is called a male hormone and has changed her life.
"This woman has been talking about hormone substitution for estrogen and progesterone that is disappearing, but has not really solved the problem of testosterone, which is down in women aged 40 and 50.
She said the doctor won't tell you, but one of the many benefits of testosterone is that it will restore your sexual desire and passion for life.
"There is no mention of possible side effects of Supplementing testosterone, such as facial and body hair, acne, deepening of sound, and abnormal increase of the clit.
There is also little chance of hair loss, and the risk of breast cancer and heart attacks has increased.
So Todd visited her GP and he introduced her to an endocrine scientist who gave her a tube of testosterone and a bill for $400.
It's worth it, she said, because every night, three weeks after applying the gel to the inside of the thigh, Todd re-Add packaging.
"It would be impossible to talk about it without the gospel voice, but that little tube gave me life.
I have more energy and no longer get bored and tired of life.
My hair is smooth and I compress it through the gym session.
But the most important thing is that I'm back with more than enough.
"A quick science course: Testosterone is a steroid hormone made of cholesterol produced by the female ovary and adrenaline.
It may help to maintain the strength of bones, muscles and hair and can relieve joint pain and enhance the neurotransmission of the brain (
Messenger chemicals)
Keep the brain alert and focused;
And contribute to the production of serum and dopamine that contribute to sexual impulses (
It is commonly called the hormone of desire).
Women produce three times as much testosterone as estrogen, and we hit production peaks in our 20 s.
But the conveyor belt slows down as you get older, causing Todd to develop symptoms.
The usual suspects can naturally increase testosterone in the body: Exercise (
Especially strength training to build thin muscles, high
Intensity Interval Training of jump
Start metabolism)
Eat whole plants
Based on organic foods, reduce the intake of sugar and processed foods and reduce drinking.
That may be why women of a certain age have joined the ranks of testosterone supplements in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Eat cream and get a lot of energy and a good sex life without diet and exercise? Yes, please.
For example, actress Jane Fonda claimed at the age of 70 that adding testosterone changed her sex life, while she was 54. year-
Trinny Woodall, a veteran television presenter in Britain, vowed that hormones "gave her 25-year-old".
Osie's ex-wife, Meg Matthews, sees this as "giving back to life ".
"I think my life is over when menopause hits me," 51-year-
Tell the Times.
"I have been tired for a long time, have no sexual desire, have a bad headache, can't walk to the toilet in the morning, the joints are very stiff.
Now I do gymnastics in the gym.
Dr. Megan Ogilvy heard all the stories.
Endocrine scientists in Auckland will prescribe testosterone during hormone replacement therapy or even sexual counseling (
More information later)haven't worked.
But Ogilvie from the Remuera fertility association is not convinced of the status of testosterone as a new magical drug.
"We need to look from the headlines for statements that can't always be supported by research," Ogilvie said . ".
"Testosterone works for some women, but it's not long enough --
Long-term studies have proven its safety and effectivenessterm use.
"There are many reasons for this, but especially because of analysis (blood tests)
Measuring testosterone is not very accurate for testing a small amount of testosterone in women.
In addition, there is no widely available product that provides a consistent dose of testosterone per day, which makes the study difficult.
Effectively limiting low sexual desire is also a challenge, because there are many reasons for sexual impulse lag --
From hormones and stress to bad physical image and negative past sexual experiences.
Every woman is different, Ogilvie says, so it's a big problem to expect a hormone cream to address these various causes.
Martie Haselton, professor of psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, pointed out in her book hormones: how hormones drive desire, shape relationships and make us smarter, because of the lack of estrogen and progesterone
"Hormones can create stereotypes, and academics are concerned that their research will result in women being restricted to teenage stereotypes," Haselton said . ".
Or, more directly, like Todd, "wazoo will have research and medication if menopause is a male problem.
"Ogilvie agrees that this may be a factor, but, on a rainy Wednesday, she 'd rather focus on what's available than what's not.
The answer, she believes, is the water retention time.
Estrogen and progesterone patches and pills slowly recover after suffering from adverse stress at an early stage, which is associated with increased risk of breast cancer, heart disease, stroke and blood clots.
"New Zealand lags behind the rest of the world in accepting this long history
Long-term studies have shown that hormone replacement therapy is an effective, safe and economical treatment.
A lot of women still don't get this information, so we actually
Treating menopausal women in this country, it is manageable for women who endure hot flashes and night sweats.
"For patients with persistent low sexual desire, Ogilvie will prescribe a male testosterone cream.
But this is her last call.
And sexual psychologists.
"We need to look at the various causes of low sexual desire, and sometimes this may include talking to professionals about how your long-term life has changed --
Long-term sexual relations are helpful.
"AndroFeme is not licensed for Medsafe use and there is no public funding from Pharmac, a New Zealand medical regulatory and funding agency, but Ogilvie's clinic has been imported from Western Australia for 10 years.
The patient costs $100 a tube (
Except $450. plus hour-
Long term consultation with Ogilvie)
It lasted for several months.
The clinical effect takes about four weeks and the patient needs to have a blood test every two months to ensure testosterone levels (
And liver, lipid, and red blood cell levels)remain normal.
"About 60 of my patients had a good response to testosterone cream, while another 40 said it didn't help.
But unlike hormone replacement therapy, patients can take 5-
10 years, I'm not going to prescribe testosterone for more than a few years because we really don't know the long termterm effects.
"Bronwin Ellis * is very eager for the $150 worth of testosterone cream she bought on the Internet to help her recover her disappearance --in-action libido.
This is true, but it did not meet her expectations.
52-said: "I 've read reports of people having crazy, crazy sex after a few hours of taking testosterone, but unfortunately it didn't happen to me . "year-old.
"I used to have a very normal sex life with my 20 year old husband, but once I had a menopause, I completely gave up the idea.
So when Ellis read about testosterone cream, she thought it was the answer to her prayers.
"I use it every night and wait for my sexuality to come back, but that's not the case.
However, what it does is make me feel less tired and less tired, which means I'm more interested in having sex and even start having sex.
So I want to thank testosterone.
I started my sex life, just not what I thought.
* Name has been changed.
Some menopause women swear
The same hormone
In terms of molecular structure, the hormone listed is the same as the hormone naturally produced in the body. Except bio-
There is no such form of the same hormone in nature, but is manufactured or synthesized from plant chemicals extracted from yam and soybeans.
Ogilvie is not a fan of bio.
The same hormone, considered hormone replacement therapy as a more effective and safer drug.
"Don't know enough about biotechnology
"The same hormones or their effects, if I don't know what they are, I can't tell my patients about their risks and benefits," she said . ".
The main problem seems to be because of the bio
The same hormone was mixed by a compound pharmacist, lacking dose consistency.
"Studies have shown that the concentration of the product is inconsistent in a one-month prescription. Also, bio-
The same hormone is sometimes contaminated with other hormones.
We have FDA and Medsafe.
Approved hormone replacement therapy funded and fully researched
This is the way we should use to protect women's health and safety.