Androgen Disorders in Women: The Most Neglected Hormone Problem

by Theresa Cheung

Overview

Androgen disorders are perhaps the most common and overlooked of female hormonal problems. Women's health writer Theresa Cheung describes how the hormone imbalance affects women both physically and emotionally, explaining how these disorders can be treated by conventional and alternative means and noting ways to prevent the problem as well.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780897932592
Publisher:	TURNER PUB CO
Publication date:	07/01/1999
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Theresa Cheung is the author of A Break in Your Cycle. She lives in Dallas.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	viii
	Acknowledgments	ix
	Introduction: Why Read This Book?	1
Part 1	The Most Neglected Female Hormone Problem	5
1	Life with Androgen Disorder	6
2	Hormones, Androgens, and Androgen Disorder	18
Part 2	The Signs and Symptoms of Androgen Disorder	47
3	Changes in Appearance	48
4	Menstrual Abnormality and Infertility	72
5	Metabolic and Systemic Disorders	96
Part 3	Prevention, Self-Help, and Treatment	105
6	How to Help Yourself	106
7	Conventional Treatment and Procedures	140
8	Alternative Therapies	158
	Conclusion: Integrating the Benefits of Both Masculine and Feminine in Your Life	174
	Resources	179
	Suggested Reading	186
	Index	191

Editorial Reviews

Although imbalances of the so-called "male" hormones are estimated to affect up to 10 percent of all women, the resulting disorders receive little press. Sufferers will welcome this competent guide to the causes and treatments for such disorders. Cheung (A Break in Your Cycle: The Medical and Emotional Causes and Effects of Amenorrhea) first explains the complexity of the body's hormone system, including how women's and men's bodies both use the same hormones; it is the amount and balance of each that determines the characteristics of each sex. We know much more about the function of some androgens (e.g., testosterone) than others. But as Cheung makes clear, the signs of something going awry are easily identifiable. Symptoms generally appear gradually and can be grouped into: changes in appearance (unexplained weight gain, both hair loss and unwanted hair growth, acne), menstrual abnormality and infertility, and metabolic and systemic disorders (these, the most serious of the symptoms, include increased risk for diabetes, heart disease, and cancer). Diagnosis generally involves blood tests, and treatment is through hormonal therapy. Cheung is clear, reassuring, and doesn't pull any punches: "Weight gain, mood swings, and loss of interest in sex can be the results of androgen imbalance, but they can also result from too much food, too little exercise, or a lack of challenge and discipline in our lives." A straightforward, helpful primer for a rarely discussed subject.

Kirkus Reviews