DHEA and Menopausal Symptoms

Menopausal women often experience debilitating symptoms that ruin their quality of life, including hot flushes, sleeping difficulties, fatigue, sexual dysfunction, headaches, body pains, and mood swings. Researchers believe that menopause and low DHEA levels go hand in hand, and by restoring DHEA to youthful levels through hormone replacement therapy, menopausal women can significantly experience relief from these unpleasant symptoms. A number of high quality studies conducted in menopausal women support the benefits of DHEA:
1. Intravaginal administration of DHEA improves vaginal health and lessens pain during sexual intercourse. [273]
2. In postmenopausal women, intravaginal administration of DHEA prevents vaginal atrophy (thinning, drying and inflammation of the vaginal walls). [274]
3. Daily intravaginal administration of DHEA causes highly statistically significant improvements in vaginal dryness, vaginal pH acidity, and pain during sexual activity. [275-277]
4. In menopausal women, four weeks of DHEA therapy decreases hot flushes by 50%. [278]
5. In early and late postmenopausal women, DHEA replacement therapy for 3-6 months improves hot flushes and night sweats. [279]
6. In early postmenopausal women, DHEA replacement therapy improves sexual function and frequency of sexual intercourse. [280]