Latest Endocrinology Stories

~ 82 per cent of Canadian women agree that vaginal atrophy would have a negative impact on their life, including sexual intimacy, yet only seven per cent are aware of the condition ~ TORONTO, June 26, 2012 /CNW/ - According to new data from the VIVA (Vaginal Health: Insights, Views & Attitudes) survey presented at the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) Annual Clinical Meeting, seventy-two per cent of Canadian women consider sexual intimacy as being...

Connie K. Ho for redOrbit.com Australian scientists recently looked in to testosterone and its progression in males from young to old age and discovered that gradual decline in testosterone levels is more likely caused by a man’s behavioral and health changes rather than aging. The findings were presented at The Endocrine’s Society’s 94th Annual Meeting that took place recently in Houston. The Endocrine Society is an organization focused on research of hormones and the practice of...

Male hormonal contraceptives applied daily to the skin reduce sperm production, finds a new study to be presented Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston. Very low sperm counts resulted for about 89 percent of men using a new combination of hormones, the authors reported. They combined a transdermal (skin) gel containing the male hormone testosterone and a gel containing a new synthetic progestin called Nestorone. "This is the first time that testosterone and...

Researchers have developed a new scoring system that may better identify adolescents with the metabolic syndrome, a group at increased risk of later developing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The study, to be presented Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston, describes what the authors call "the first racial/ethnic-specific and sex-specific scoring system for the metabolic syndrome." "Children with the metabolic syndrome have more than 11 times the odds of...

A pre-diet measurement of two hormones related to weight regulation can help predict which dieters will be more likely to maintain their weight loss and who will not, according to a new study. The results will be presented Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston. With obesity rates in many countries steadily climbing, more people are turning to diets to lose weight. But, for many people, maintaining the weight loss can be extremely difficult, leading to a...

The diabetes drug sitagliptin appears to reduce the severity of reactive hypoglycemia, a form of low blood sugar that occurs after a meal, a preliminary study finds. The results will be presented Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston. "Further studies may determine if it is possible to use sitagliptin as a novel approach to treat this condition, for which there currently is no medical therapy," said the lead investigator, Francisco Gomez-Perez, MD, of Instituto...

Compared to another popular drug, three widely used diabetes medications are associated with a greater risk of death, a large new analysis finds. The results will be presented Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston. The drugs, glipizide, glyburide, and glimepiride, are known as sulfonylureas, which help decrease blood-sugar levels among type 2 diabetes patients by stimulating the pancreas to produce insulin. In the past, these medications were considered...

A new study suggests that the appetite-inducing hormone ghrelin increases the incentive for humans to eat high-calorie foods, even on a full stomach. The results will be reported Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston. In the study, rats lacking the ghrelin receptor gene ate less of a sweet treat after a full meal than did rodents whose ghrelin receptor gene was intact. "Combined with an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, overconsumption of reward-driven foods...

The hot flashes and night sweats that most women experience early in menopause are not linked to increased levels of cardiovascular disease risk markers unless the symptoms persist or start many years after menopause begins. These new study results will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston. "Our study provides reassurance that the common experience of menopausal symptoms in early menopause is not associated with increases in blood pressure or...

An overactive thyroid gland, or hyperthyroidism, may increase the risk of hospitalization for heart and blood-vessel disease even after surgery to remove the gland, according to a new study. The results will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston. "Overactive thyroid gland has long-lasting effects on the patient's heart and vessels," said study principal investigator Saara Metso, M.D., Ph.D. assistant chief of endocrinology in the Department of...