Frequently Asked Questions
If you don’t find an answer in our FAQ section please email us and we will answer it and post it here. Please send questions to FAQ@diamondrf.org
What are the gonads?
In women the gonads are called ovaries and in men the gonads are called testicles.
Which hormones are produced by the ovary and the testicle?
The ovary and testicle produce identical hormones, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA and estradiol.
When is the level of estradiol the same in men and women?
A healthy man’s estradiol level is about 20-30 pg/ml. A woman’s estradiol level drops to about 30 pg/ml for about a day once a month at the beginning of her cycle (1st day of menstrual bleeding).
Estradiol is the major circulating estrogen in both women and men.
When is a man’s estradiol level higher than a woman’s?
A man’s estradiol will generally increase as he ages and his hypogonadism advances. Without treatment by the age of 50-70 years a man’s estradiol level is about 30-60 pg/ml. A woman in her 50-70’s without treatment for her advanced hypogonadism would only have an estradiol level of 1-10 pg/ml, many times lower than a man.
When is the level of progesterone the same in men and women?
During the first two weeks of a woman’s menstrual cycle her level of progesterone is about the same level as a man’s. After ovarian failure, if a woman does not receive treatment for advanced hypogonadism, her progesterone levels would drop to less than 400 pg/ml while a man’s would be closer to 1000 pg/ml.
I thought andropause and menopause were not illnesses?
The medical name for andropause and menopause is hypogonadism. Hypogonadism is an illness of multiple hormone deficiencies.
In women hypogonadism is usually called peri-menopause. Advanced or profound hypogonadism is usually called menopause. Advanced hypogonadism actually starts a few years before the ovaries have failed.
In men this illness is usually just called hypogonadism. Sometimes when this illness has advanced in men sometimes it is called profound or advanced hypogonadism.
Does hypogonadism have the same symptoms for women and men?
Yes, the symptoms are the same. They are the same because the gonadal hormones, progesterone, testosterone, estradiol and dhea have the same function whether they are in a man’s or a woman’s body.
I thought hypogonadism only happened to men.
Hypogonadism happens to all people, women and men, generally starting about age 30 years.
I thought it was normal to leave hypogonadism untreated in women.
Culturally, we have been taught to ignore hypogonadism in women and to minimize hypogonadism in men. Hypogonadism is an illness and will cause predictable disease. It is an individual decision to seek and receive treatment.
Isn’t menopause natural?
It is natural for the ovaries to use the eggs contained within it to produce hormones to keep a woman healthy. It is natural for every organ in our body to eventually fail.
Menopause is another name for ovarian failure. Without ovarian function all of the ovarian hormone levels will drop to very low, very unhealthy levels. A woman with very low ovarian hormone levels has an illness called advanced hypogonadism.
I thought HRT clinical trials proved that HRT is bad for women.
The clinical trials that have been done on women proved that non-HRT is bad for women. In the history of clinical trials for the treatment of advanced hypogonadism in women, never have all of the ovarian hormones been replaced or even measured. If all of the hormones of the ovaries aren’t being replaced with bio-identical hormones, measured and adjusted to normal then a clinical trial will predictably fail. Just common sense.
Why wouldn’t hormone testing be done in a clinical trial that advertised that it used HRT?
Obviously, because hormone replacement was not the goal of the clinical trial. If the clinical trial actually replaced hormones then hormone testing would have been done.
What would the goal of a clinical trial that didn’t make sure replacement levels of hormones were used for hormone deficiencies be?
Diamond Research Foundation has asked The National Institutes of Health and it has refused to answer this question.
Why did the National Institutes of Health stop calling the hormone drug, Premarin, HRT and now calls it HT, or hormone therapy?
Because no hormone replacement can be achieved with this drug.
In 2007, Diamond Research Foundation proved to the National Institutes of Health that no replacement was being given and it was misleading to continue to call a drug HRT when it wasn’t.
Calling it HT or hormone therapy is misleading as Premarin is not therapeutic. Clinical trials of this drug prove with 100% certainty it will make a woman sicker than the hypogonadism it is prescribed for.
Should your doctor provide treatment for hypogonadism?
Yes, all hormone deficiencies should be treated with modern, bio-identical products (including compounded products) in the healthiest way possible (no oral estradiol and testosterone). Your doctor should always treat hormone deficiencies because:
- Normal hormone levels are always healthier
- Abnormal hormone levels are always unhealthier