A resounding answer to both questions is – “YES!”
Good health equals good sex!
Good health and a good relationship equal even better sex!
At the core of good health is hormonal balance.
And now we have made the connection between the hormones and sex.
Now, let us take a step back and see what good sex is and the meaning of it for men vs women. Sexual issues for both genders can be related to various components of a sexual function: arousal, desire and orgasm.
Before anything, one important thing to mention is that: Sex is 90% psychology and 10% biology.
This is particularly valid for women. Psychology, emotions, feelings, and relationship are everything to women when it comes to physical intimacy. For most women, a good relationship is a key component of a healthy sexual life.
When there are problems in a relationship, there are problems in sexual life. Sexual issues for women are more commonly referred to as “sexual satisfaction” whereas for men they are often referred to as “sexual performance.”
No matter how they are referred to, sexual issues mean sexual dysfunction, and talked about or not, it affects millions of women and men worldwide.
There are many factors that lead to sexual dysfunction, both for men and women, such as:
- Lifestyle – sedentary/active, smoking, alcohol use/abuse
- Diet and nutrition
- Other medical conditions, such as diabetes, cardio-vascular diseases, liver disorders, etc.
- Environmental factors – toxins in the air, soil, food, water, clothing, etc.
- Medications
- Age, etc.
At the core of that 10% biology that leads to good health and good sex, are the hormones and the hormonal balance. And they affect the 90% psychology part as well.
Hormone levels are directly connected to the aging process, but they are affected by all the other factors mentioned above. That shows how closely related hormones, their levels, and most importantly – their balance are to sexual function and dysfunction.
Sexual dysfunction, a lack of sexual satisfaction is a much more frequent occurrence in women than in men, because hormones affect more women than men. This is because women have more hormones to balance than men.
Whereas “good health and good relationship equals good sex” applies for both genders, men are much less psychologically influenced than women regarding sexual performance.
Statistics show, about one third of American men over the age of 18 have some kind of sexual dysfunction issue. This goes up to almost half by age 40. This sounds high because men keep this a secret. Men don’t even want to tell their doctors they can’t perform the way they would like.
Prostate issues and low androgens are the main causes for age related sexual performance in men.
With regards to hormones – testosterone and DHEA are the ones that decline with age leading to low sexual desire/libido. Many men, like women, encounter hormonal imbalance, particularly as they age. And in most cases, in men, like women, estrogen dominance is the leading cause for sexual dysfunction as well as for prostate issues. The most common prostate issue men must deal with, as they age, is BPH (Benign Prostate Hypertrophy), which on its own can be a cause for sexual dysfunction.
As each individual – no matter man or woman – goes through hormonal changes along with aging, hormonal imbalance is a common occurrence for everyone.
When hormonal imbalance occurs, the hormone levels and their ratios will be different for everyone.
Correcting the imbalance will require a carefully crafted individualized treatment plan from a very well experienced health care practitioner.
It is a must for the health care practitioner to work in tandem with an equally experienced compounding pharmacist to coordinate and communicate the best customized option for the patient.
And it is a must for the health care practitioner to carefully select that compounding pharmacy that will bring the most value to his/her practice in helping the patients get the best possible outcome with their individualized treatment.
Nurten Rasid, M.D. – Compounding Clinical Consultant @Haldey
