In a woman’s body, production of testosterone peaks in her mid 20’s and begins to steadily decline, down to about 50% by age 40. This is when a woman will often present with complaints such as increased abdominal fat, hair loss, fatigue, brain fog, loss of sex drive, reduced orgasm, anxiety, irritability, depression, headaches, and general lack of well-being. Most women attribute these symptoms to a natural diminishment of vitality with aging. But, recognizing these symptoms are signaling something about our bodies, and giving attention to hormone health can improve our health and quality of life as we age.

Hormone imbalance in men can occur at any point in the life cycle, but it is most commonly experienced around middle-age when testosterone levels reach a peak point of decline. Though men can experience an imbalance of any number of hormones, low testosterone has the biggest impact on a man’s health and quality of life. Symptoms of hormone balance generally begin to occur with greater frequency and intensity when a man reaches middle age. This stage is often referred to as andropause, or more colloquially, “the male menopause.”