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Menopause and Ageing

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Reproductive Medicine for Clinical Practice

Part of the book series: Reproductive Medicine for Clinicians ((REMECL,volume 1))

Abstract

The decline in the reproductive capacity of women in the late fourth to fifth decade of life is accompanied by diverse sequelae, including vasomotor symptoms, an increased risk of osteoporosis, psychogenic disturbance and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. Attempts to ameliorate losses in oestrogen through hormone replacement therapy (HRT) have, however, courted significant controversy relating both to increased risks of malignancy and vascular events, thereby standing as an exemplar for the difficulty in managing hormone balance during ageing. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) represents the most abundant sex steroid in plasma in men and women, but its serum concentration goes down to 10–20% of its maximum level by around the age of 70 years. Evidence suggest that lower levels of are associated with cardiovascular, cognitive and sexual impairment in women. Further aspects need to be better investigated, before drawing definitive conclusions on DHEA replacement therapy.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Marta Caretto & Andrea Giannini

  2. Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Tommaso Simoncini

  3. International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology, Pisa, Italy

    Andrea R. Genazzani

Authors
  1. Marta Caretto
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  2. Andrea Giannini
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  3. Tommaso Simoncini
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  4. Andrea R. Genazzani
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel

    Joseph G. Schenker

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation, Chicago, USA

    John J. Sciarra

  3. Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holst, Kiel, Germany

    Liselotte Mettler

  4. International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology, Pisa, Italy

    Andrea R. Genazzani

  5. Professor emeritus of Gynaecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

    Martin Birkhaeuser

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© 2018 IAHR (International Academy of Human Reproduction)

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Caretto, M., Giannini, A., Simoncini, T., Genazzani, A.R. (2018). Menopause and Ageing. In: Schenker, J., Sciarra, J., Mettler, L., Genazzani, A., Birkhaeuser, M. (eds) Reproductive Medicine for Clinical Practice. Reproductive Medicine for Clinicians, vol 1. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78009-2_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78009-2_15

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-78008-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-78009-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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