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Home | Membership Benefits | Seminar
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Management of Menopause Type®
Seminar
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Module A: Redefining Menopause
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The Brain (Mood & Memory) |
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The risk of depression and decreased cognitive function
is greatest when there is inadequate estradiol and/or inadequate
testosterone. |
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Estradiol can significantly
improve or alleviate depression in postmenopause
women 1,2. Estradiol is needed for normal
the function of neurotransmitters that affect mood and memory including
serotonin, dopamine, and GABAA 3 - 5. Estrogen also enhances
reasoning skills, the ability to form new concepts, to learn new things and
enhances memory, specifically verbal memory which is the ability to remember
names and words 4 - 7. |
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Progesterone and its metabolites
result in increased relaxation and reduced anxiety in a way that is similar
to the effects of benzodiazepines 8, 9 by a direct effect on
neurotransmitter receptors called Gamma-Amino Butyric Acid type A (GABAA)
receptors 10. When progesterone levels drop a woman can experience
withdrawals similar to the withdrawal seen with benzodiazepine, barbiturate,
and alcohol withdrawal 11. Excessive levels may cause decreased
coordination, slowed reflexes, depression and impaired memory and reasoning
skills 12 - 16. The sedating effects of excessive progesterone can
cause drowsiness and even induce sleep 14, 17, 18. The nerve
calming effect of progesterone is so pronounced that both natural
progesterone and medroxyprogesterone have both been
shown to decrease seizures in women with epilepsy 19, 20.
Progesterone has a protective, stimulating effect on breathing patterns
during sleep, resulting in decreased incidence of sleep apnea, a serious
condition in which the body is deprived of oxygen 21 - 24. The action of progesterone on GABAA receptors have been
associated with an increase appetite and food intake 25 - 27. |
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Testosterone deficiency
may bring on depression, one of the major symptoms associated with female androgen deficiency syndrome
28. Low testosterone also has a significant negative effect on
mood, personal sense of well being, interpersonal relationships,
self-confidence and self worth 29, 30. |
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Table of Contents |
References |
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YourMenopauseType.com, Inc.
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