WASHINGTON—Women often use hormone therapy to relieve hot flashes and other menopause symptoms—and new research suggests patches or creams may be safer for their blood pressure than pills. As women’s bodies produce lower levels of reproductive hormones during menopause their risk for heart disease rises. High blood pressure further increases that risk—but it’s not clear…

Many men accept as fact the idea that testosterone will inevitably decrease as they get older. However, new science is showing that diseases of lifestyle, rather than just age, are often the real culprits behind the decline. Testosterone levels have shown a stunning downward trend in the past several decades. The standard American diet is…

Formally, menopause is a period that begins once a woman’s body is done having menstrual cycles. A woman is said to have entered menopause once her body has not menstruated for 12 months, as long as no medical conditions or surgeries can be identified as the cause for the absence of menstrual cycles. Most women enter…

What natural alternatives to hormone replacement therapy are there? Women who decide not to supplement their declining levels of estrogen with prescription hormones may want to choose from a variety of “natural” remedies that may help relieve their menopausal symptoms. Black cohosh root may bring some relief from hot flashes, with potentially fewer side effects…