I find it surprising that breastfeeding and its relation to estrogen-fed breast cancer tumors is not mentioned in any of the studies quoted. It is well known that long-term breastfeeding tends to suppress the estrogen cycles in women, hence its use for child spacing in many places and families where other family planning methods are either impractical or illegal. It would seem to be reasonable that many of the women in the study documenting a falling rate of breast cancer also spent a significant amount of time breastfeeding since it was in the 70's and 80's that many of these women were rearing children and reading studies touting the benefits of breastfeeding for their children. Where is the documentation about that practice perhaps being related to the fall in breast cancer rates?

Oops, I forgot to mention that my soon to be 65 yo wife, who tossed away her HRT years ago, does take 25 mg of DHEA besides the D3 and omega-3. DHEA is a precursor to testosterone, so her horniness may be assisted by the DHEA. I take 50 mg to keep up with her. Every now and then Big Pharma makes a sporadic effort to get DHEA off the market It's pretty cheap stuff off the shelf almost anywhere. Big Pharma would much rather sell us one of their (patented) high-priced nostrums, for which you would need a prescription, so the the Docs could make their cut.

The same as for everything else.

Enjoy them while you have them!

Eventually everything sags, wrinkles, loses function, falls off, gets cancer, dies.

Where's that Victoria's Secret catalog?

There is some evidence that HRT can actually dampen desire in some cases. This may be because it is testosterone rather than estrogen that fuels libido, and after the menopause the balance of estrogen/testostertone shifts in favour of the latter. This doesn't mean an instant hairy chin, baldie head or deepened voice though. (Women who are long-term users of birth control pills can experience a similar drop in libido.)

And is HRT really the rejuvenator it is claimed to be? Do women really look years younger, lustrous-haired, wrinkle free? It's interesting how few objective studies seem to have been done on this. If the difference was really that big, surely the pharmaceutical industry would be touting "before" (wrinkly old shrivelled crone) and "after" (blossoming gorgeous desirable hottie)pictures.

At the end of the day, it's all about quality of life.

>I'd rather die of breast cancer at eighty than live to be a ninety year old bald woman with a goatee. Superficial? Kiss my ass. We're all going to die, and I want to make the decisions.

Sing it, Sweet Sue!! I'm 58, and -- after standing outside at 2am in a raging blizzard at -20 degrees in my sleeveless nightgown that was drenched in sweat that awakened me from the 1.5 hours of sleep I was managing to get in between hot scorches that had been recurring for 8 years-- I finally found blessed relief via pharmaceuticals. They'd have to pry my HRT from my cold, dead hands, too. My doc keeps close watch on me, and I never ever skip a mammogram. Ever.

My body. My decision.

even though the "hormonal basis" for doing so inevitably declines. It's true that life expectancey at 50 hasn't change much but that is because living to very old age has always been rare, although the reasons for that rarity have changed.

One third of medicare expense is for type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is almost entirely a choice. It leads to all kinds of other debilitating illnesses. Alzheimers is much higher in diabetics than non-diabetics. ED is a result of circulatory system problems, that can usually be corrected by diet and exercise. My wife and I are continually amazed at the poor health choices made by many of our acquaintances. Despite the incredible publicity recently about the adverse effects of pharmaceuticals, they continue to believe that the pharmaceuticals will solve their problems. Nearly all people in our age group are overweight and out of shape. By choice!!

We belong to a group of 60-80 year-olds who bicycle in the summer and XC ski in the winter. These treks last for 4-6 hours at a brisk pace. We are willing to do whatever is necessary to be able to keep doing such (fun) activities, which includes not stuffing our faces every time we see a carbohydrate. When we mention how much fun we have on our treks, we are met with derision. How can working your body be fun?

As far as life-span goes, the life-span at 50 is not much longer today than it was 100,000 years ago. It is not advanced years that are making us sick, it is laziness combined with a belief in medical solutions to lifes (inevitable) problems.

If you like sex, stay in shape. A healthy body is the greatest aphrodisiac there is. Better and much cheaper than HRT's.

chronic health problems can be delayed but something always happen and there is no mechanism which guarantees that just because you live to an old age you will drop dead while perfectly healthy. Obviously if you stay healthy until you are 100 you can't live as an invalid for another 30 years. Irrational resistance to medical reality can be damaging too. People did not evolve under conditions where they lived to be 80 to 100 years old, so even if there is some validity to the argument that for a young person natural is always best it doesn't apply in the same way to people who are trying to extend their body's function "unnaturally".

or at least, compared to men, a low (or highly selective, sensitive, whatever) level to begin with.

There is almost always a natural solution to chronic health problems. The medical industry has convinced most of us that there are shortcuts to good health. Diabetes, just take glucophage and/or insulin. Erectile disfunction, we have cialis, viagra, etc. These diseases(?) are usually signs of poor life style. Sexual desire and performance work quite well for most healthy people, at any age. My wife and I are well into the medicare regime, and we walk briskly on hills 25 miles a week, take plenty of fish oil and 2000 units of D3 a day, and have no problem screwing a couple of times a week. Our friends, many of whom have gone the pharmaceutical route, have long since given up sex, and are shrinking, also. Whenever we see a Doc (rarely) we are advised of the newest nostrum from Big Pharma and how good it would be for us. We take the free samples and send them to the landfill. We should probably burn them.