Most women experience symptoms before during and after menopause occurs. These symptoms may include insomnia, night sweats, hot flashes, decreased libido,weight gain, depression and dry skin. As women approach menopause their female hormone levels drop signicifantly. These hormones include estrogen, estradiol, progesterone and testosterone. This panel will help your physician or naturalist determine if hormone replacement is needed to correct these symptoms which can significantly interfere with your lifestyle. This panel will also help women that have had surgical menopause due to a partial or total hysterectomy.
Tests
| Name | Description |
| Estrogen | Estrogen is a female hormone produced by the ovaries. It controls growth of the uterine lining during the first part of the menstrual cycle, causes changes in the breasts during adolescence and pregnancy, and regulates various other metabolic processes, including bone growth and cholesterol levels. Estrogens are used as part of some oral contraceptives, in estrogen replacement therapy of postmenopausal women, and in hormone replacemt therapy. As women age, there estrogens level decline which may cause hot flashes, insomnia, dry skin and adecrease in libido. Estrogen deficiency can lead to osteoporosis. |
| Estradiol | Estradiol is the most potent estrogen of a group of endogenous estrogen steroids which includes estrone and estriol. In women estradiol is responsible for growth of the breast and reproductive cells, maturation of long bones and development of the secondary sexual characteristics. Estradiol is produced mainly by the ovaries and the adrenal glands and declines significantly with menopause. |
| Free and Total Testosterone | Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group. Testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands. In both men and women, testosterone plays a key role in health and well-being as well as in sexual functioning. Examples include enhanced libido, increased energy, and protection against osteoporosis. On average, the adult male body produces about forty to sixty times more testosterone than the adult female body, but females are more sensitive to the hormone. |
| IGF-1 (Insulin-like growth factor) |
IGF-1 is measured to help diagnose the cause of growth abnormalities, deficiencies and overproduction of growth hormone and to evaluate pituitary function. A decrease in growth hormone may also be related to adults that have high cholesterol levels.Decreased levels of IGF-1 also may be seen with nutritional deficiencies (including anorexia nervosa) and chronic kidney or liver disease. |
| Progesterone | Progesterone is a female hormone important for the regulation of ovulation and menstruation that is made mainly by the corpus luteum in the ovary and by the placenta. Progesterone prepares the lining of the uterus to receive and sustain the fertilized egg and so permits pregnancy. As women approach menopause, their progesterone levels naturally decline causing various menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, dry skin, insomnia and a decrease in libido. |