Hormones

I've been doing a bit of reading up on hormones these past few weeks, and as usual I am in awe of God's grand design for us as a species.

Although we generally associate Testosterone with the male species, and Progesterone and Estrogen with females, both sexes actually have and need all three, but just in different amounts.

A husband's saliva and semen both contain Testosterone, and through kissing and intercourse, his wife receives a boost of Testosterone, with positive benefits for her libido and overall mood. At the same time, Progesterone is present in a woman's saliva and it is not too much of a stretch to assume that through kissing, she also transfers necessary small quantities of this hormone to her husband. Kissing and making love have also been shown to lower levels of the stress hormone, Cortisol, in both spouses, while increasing levels of Oxytocin, which promotes emotional bonding.

This for me is yet further proof of God's design for marriage between a man and a woman, and also of his design and desire for married couples to enjoy a regular and active sex life. Regular kissing and intercourse assists in optimal health through helping to balance hormone levels for both spouses.

But our hectic modern lifestyles, and toxic environment, can also negatively impact our hormone levels, and consequently our libidos, leading to an inter-connected downward spiral of cause and effect.

C's trainer has recently put her onto natural Progesterone supplementation. The premise is that we live in an Estrogen dominant world, through pesticides, plastics and other industrial compounds that leach synthetic Estrogens into our water supply, with the result that the average woman (and man and child) has a far higher Estrogen level than is healthy. This leads to Estrogen Dominance - Estrogen not being adequately balanced by Progesterone levels in the body. The negative effects of Estrogen Dominance include thyroid activity being blocked, leading to obesity, low energy levels and low libido, as well as migraines, more pronounced symptom's of PMS, and a host of other problems.

Progesterone supplementation, with a naturally derived bio-identical hormone, generally in the form of a cream applied to the skin, is beneficial to balance out these high Estrogen levels. The benefits of Progesterone supplementation include better sleep, higher libido, increased breast size and a flatter tummy.

On my side, I required a series of shots a couple of years back to kick-start my body's natural Testosterone production again. Four years ago I started a new division for my firm, just as the financial crisis hit, which was not great timing. It was a stressful time, and my annual executive medical revealed that my Testosterone levels had dropped to well below average for my age, which my GP explained is a potential symptom of burnout.

The noticeable effects that I had been experiencing included fatigue, decreased libido, less firm erections and occasionally difficulty reaching orgasm. I had a series of three shots three months apart of a drug that stimulates the body to start producing Testosterone naturally again and that resolved the problem. I now have my levels regularly tested and they have since stayed within the normal range. I must say that the shots could become quite addictive though - for a two to three week period after each shot they made me feel like I was 16 again, with buckets of energy, vivid erotic dreams and a raging teenage libido! Luckily C has a high drive that could cope!

So ask your doctor to test your hormone levels at least annually and where indicated, initiate treatment to correct any imbalances caused by our hectic modern lifestyle, that might be impacting your intimate physical relationship with your spouse and your overall health.

(As a disclaimer I am not a medical or healthcare practitioner, so my thoughts above should not be taken as medical advice. Speak to your doctor.)