Suzanne Somers - The Sexy Years: Discover the Hormone Connection: The Secret to Fabulous Sex, Great Health, and Vitality, for Women and Men

CONTENTS

PART I
The Hormone Connection

PART II
These Really Are the Sexy Years!

PART III
Life on Your Own Terms

PART IV
The Male Menopause

PART V
Beating the Clock

PART VI
Living an Authentic Life

TO MY HUSBAND, ALAN

You turn me on!

At fifty, you get the face you deserve.

COCO CHANEL

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I feel so blessed to have such talented people around me.

Once again, my editor, Kristin Kiser, was an enormous help to me in this massive undertaking. When I would get overwhelmed, she would be there to help me through the maze. Thank you, Kristin.

My agent, Al Lowman, is the greatest agent in the literary world. No one is better at it than Al. He is there from the very beginning to the very last detail. Weve done so many books together that I have lost count. I only know I wouldnt do a book without you. Thank you, Al. I love you.

My husband, Alan Hamel, takes care of everything so all I have to do is keep on writing. I am so lucky to have Alan running the show, as they say. Im crazy in love with you, Alan.

Sandi Mendelson and Judy Hilsinger are fantastic press agents. They are nurturing and creative simultaneously. Doesnt matter how great a book you writeif the public doesnt know about it, nothing happens. When Sandi and Judy do the press on one of my books, everybody knows about it. You two are the greatest. Thank you so much.

My lawyer Marc Chamlin, thank you once again.

My lawyer Martin Hahn, thank you.

And to my fabulous team at Crown Publishing

Jenny Frost, president and publisher of Crown, this is our first book together, and what a way to start. You have been enthusiastic about this idea from the very beginning. Your getting behind this project has had a tremendous positive impact. Thank you.

Steve Ross, my publisher at Crown, you are always in my corner, but for this one even a little more so. Your enthusiasm has been catching and now everyone is feeling it. I couldnt ask for more. Thank you so much.

Philip Patrick, director of marketing, you are wonderful to work with. You have done so much front work on this project that everyone you are working with cant wait to get this book. Thanks for all the advance excitement.

Tina Constable, director of publicity, you are a hard-working professional and so talented and creative. I have enjoyed our relationship over the years. Thanks so much for all your input and enthusiasm.

Mary Schuck, jacket designer, I love this cover. Maybe the favorite of all my books. Thank you. Just beautiful.

Elina Nudelman, interior designer. I love it. Thank you.

Amy Boorstein, Camille Smith, Leta Evanthes, Ellen Rubinstein, thanks to all of you for all your input and hard work.

Sona Vogel, you did a great job copyediting this difficult manuscript. I was impressed with your abilities, and I learned new things through your corrections. Thank you.

Thanks to Caroline Somers, my daughter-in-law, for that great idea. It was just what I needed to hear at that moment. You know how much I love you.

And Marsha Yanchuck, my assistant of twenty-six years, thank you for reading and rereading each and every draft and giving me suggestions and for your expertise on grammar and punctuation. You have helped me through so many books, but this one in particular was the most tedious. Thank you. You are more than my loyal assistantyou are my family and I love you dearly.

And now to my great doctors, who gave so freely of themselves for this book. These doctors, all of whom are cutting-edge and forward-thinking, are going to change the direction of medicine. They are pioneers who are willing to stick their necks out to get the latest information out to the public, regardless of the risks. Thank you all for allowing me to offer you a platform.

Dr. Diana Schwarzbein, you are the first doctor I found to specialize in this subject, and because of you my life has changed for the better. You have been invaluable to me as a teacher and a doctor. Thank you for the constant barrage of information you continue to send me. Words cannot express my appreciation.

Dr. Eugene Shippen, you are brilliant. Finally there is a doctor to help men through this least understood passage of male menopause. Thank you for all your help and input. I am deeply indebted to you.

Dr. Michael Galitzer, you are an absolute joy to work with and so informed and educated on this subject. Already you have helped so many people I have sent to you. Thank you for giving so freely of yourself and your knowledge.

Dr. Uzzi Reiss, you are a wonderful, compassionate, and knowledgeable doctor who is helping women more than you will ever know. Thank you for your time and information. I appreciate everything you have done for me and this project.

Dr. Laura Berman, you are an absolute font of information on this subject. Thank you for your knowledge and expertise in this area. A lot of women are going to be helped by your chapter.

Dr. Jennifer Berman, thank you for giving so freely of your knowledge. I came away impressed and grateful for your input. I also learned a lot.

Dr. Robert Greene, thank you for your beautiful foreword, your cutting-edge insights, and your profound enthusiasm for this project.

And finally, my ladies: Karen, Athena, Rita, Patricia, Eve, Marta, and my sister, Maureen Gilmartin. Each of you gave of yourselves with honesty and sincerity. You allowed me to crawl inside your heads for a few pages. You are living this passage, and your candor and wisdom are thrilling. I am grateful to all of you for your honesty and insights.

Thank you to everyone who helped me with this project. I am grateful and honored to be able to bring this exciting new information to the American public, but I could not have done it without all of you.

FOREWORD

BY ROBERT A. GREENE, M.D., FACOG

I am a reproductive endocrinologist. That means that after becoming a board-certified ob-gyn, I continued my training to become a specialist in identifying and treating hormone-related problems such as those associated with infertility, menopause, developmental problems, and premenstrual syndrome. During the last decade, I have continued to perform research in this field and apply what I learn on a daily basis to the patients whom I provide care for. Developing an understanding of the way hormones affect the brain is truly the key to lifelong health and wellness.

As a reproductive endocrinologist, my primary focus is on the sex hormones: estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Women today are heavily influenced by the marketing of natural hormones. But what do we mean by natural? There is no unified definition of the term natural hormones. Natural means different things to different people. To some people natural means that it comes from natural sources. To others, it means biologically identical to what the body normally produces. Thats the definition that Suzanne and I have used during our discussions of this topic. The confusion about this terminology dates back to 1941 when Russell Marker first synthesized progesterone from the wild yam, Dioscorea. To this day, many companies sell natural yam extracts as alternatives to hormones. Unfortunately, they fail to inform consumers that their bodies simply do not have the ability to convert this plant extract to an active, usable hormone, like what is accomplished in a laboratory.