Hormones and aging

[Fundamental Law 2,817]

This new publication, aimed at professionals, is a definitive and authoritative reference. It describes the evidence, illuminates the research gaps, and offers guidance that should underpin decision-making.

 

https://academic.oup.com/jcem/advance-article/doi/10.1210/clinem/dgad225/7192004

[lcmim 1,009]

When does the class start? I'll sign up. 

I can only follow enough to make me dangerous.

 

I have followed your suggestion about searching out a good endocrinologist to help sort my body chemistry.This must be a more common question than I guessed. His appointments are two months out.

[Fundamental Law 2,817]

Two questions related to "joint creakiness".

 

If you are authentically a senior, you'll likely agree that when you wake up in the morning, it takes time to get the joints moving, and similarly if you stay in one position for some time, it takes a moment to get moving again. This leads to two questions:

 

1. For those seniors who embarked on testosterone replacement/supplementation treatment, did some of the 'creakiness' go away?  If so, how long did that take? 

 

2. For those seniors who embarked on weight modification with semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro etc) how much did the weight loss affect your creakiness? 

 

For reference, we are working out with a personal trainer a couple of times each week to make sure that our form and the weights that we choose are appropriate for us, and we work out ourselves on the other days, but the creakiness and discomfort, while mild, persists. 

 

Thanks in advance for any insights you can share. 

[lcmim 1,009]

I cannot attest to the effects of Ozempic or similar drugs. I can say for sure that even a few pounds makes a profound difference for me.

 

 BTW  after a few visits with an Endocrinologist and repeated blood tests ( A list a few pages long) I have decided to live with what I have rather than supplementing. It is not the potential side a effects of TRT that I find off-putting, but rather the possibility of having a number of things come up that would mandate cessation, which would likely leave me in a worse place than now.

 

On his recommendation I am setting up a consult with the metabolic clinic at the hospital to get ideas for cleaning up my lifestyle and getting more Cardio exercise.

He tells me that losing some weight and tuning up the ticker would likely increase my available testosterone.

 

 

[Fundamental Law 2,817]

We agree that cardio does turn up the testosterone. 

 

The weight loss issue is complicated. For most at our age, the weight-stat is pretty well set unless there is medical intervention. Yes, you can intentionally lose N #. It is a matter of willpower. But...in nearly every case... perpetual hunger will gain that weight back. On the other hand, those who start and stay on semaglutide seem to lose weight and, for at least 5 y or so (that is the clinical experience at this point) keep it off. 

 

Risks are real. However, the competing risks need to be analyzed. Joint replacement is not easy or complication free. And there is some evidence in the literature--here is but one example--https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4767784/  see figure 4 that testosterone replacement significantly reduces joint pain. 

 

For the moment, we are asking questions and gathering information. The ultimate competing risks are things like cancer and death. We know at least one person whose prostate CA was likely the result of long-term exposure to testosterone replacement. We know of John Melfi's recent tale of excess testosterone replacement precipitating a myocardial infarction. There are plenty of bad outcome stories to go around. 

[MidLifeFun 143]

Not officially a senior, only in our fifties, we both have aches and pains that are not debilitating just bothersome. I played ball my whole life, my wife always played tennis and goes to a gym. Every time I move the wrong way my knee hurts. My shoulders hurt after lifting. 
Creakiness as we age is normal. Will I need testosterone in the future? I never thought of that, I thought hormone replacement was a female thing. 

[Rzeszow Poland 0]

TRT / HRT (hormone replacement therapy, with these acronyms being for male usage) is all the rage nowadays...!!!

I don't have time to search the percentages, but it is enlightening to discover how much testosterone our (I'm male, I don't just "identify" as male...) bodies lose as we age.

There is probably a gang-load of gents here that are taking Test.

Check it out; the overall effects are invigorating, to say the least.