What’s resistance training? 

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What’s resistance training?
Resistance training is a type of strength and endurance exercise that works muscles against an external force, helping preserve muscle mass and bone density. It includes exercises like squats, pushups, shoulder presses, and more, to boost the brain and body—whether we’re lifting body weight, dumbbells, barbells, or using resistance bands.

Exercise physiologists suggest starting the practice early, noting it particularly benefits women in menopause because estrogen reductions can lead to bone density loss, which increases the risk of osteoporosis and bone breaks. Resistance training complements aerobic exercises like swimming or running, which typically keep your heart rate elevated over extended periods, improving cardiovascular health.

Adult fitness recommendations include resistance training twice weekly and performing 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise—though about 80% of us don’t achieve this. When done consistently, resistance training is linked with reduced depression and anxiety and elevated cognition. It improves glucose control, reduces fall risks, and supports grip strength—the amount of force someone can generate with their hand and forearm muscles—a strong predictor of broader health risks, including falling and early death.

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What does estrogen do for males?

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What does estrogen do for males?

Estrogen seems to play important roles in males. This is mainly apparent because low or high levels of the hormone can cause issues.

In boys, estrogen deficiency limits the growth spurt in puberty due to the hormone’s effect on bones.

Estrogen also impacts male sexual and reproductive health. Too little estrogen can lead to a low sex drive. Too much of it can cause infertility, erectile dysfunction and enlarged breasts.

A primer on hormone replacement therapy

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A primer on hormone replacement therapy
Hormone replacement therapy uses medication to supplement hormone production in the human body. The vast majority of HRT is for menopause symptoms. It’s used more rarely for testosterone deficiencies or as part of gender-affirming care for transgender people. HRT formulations may include injections, patches, gels, creams, sprays, and pills.

HRT was extremely popular for treating menopausal symptoms and lowering certain women’s health risks in the 1990s, but its use plummeted in the early 2000s after the well-known Women’s Health Initiative found it increased the incidence of breast cancer, heart disease, and stroke in some women. Those findings were subsequently found to be overblown and largely disproved. In 2025, the US Food and Drug Administration removed its warning label about such risks, and in 2026, the supply of estradiol patches—which have lower blood clotting risks than other estrogen formulations—has been unable to keep up with demand.

Testosterone therapy for men with “low T”—typically defined as below 300 nanograms per deciliter of blood—has been buoyed by recent positive cardiovascular safety data and the FDA’s 2025 related decision to drop its cardiovascular warning. Prescriptions for testosterone, though low overall, roughly doubled for injectable formulations between 2019 and 2025.

The third typical use for HRT is gender-affirming care. About 1% of America’s adults, or more than 2 million people, identify as transgender, and estimates vary on what percentage of the transgender community may use HRT. Transgender women may use estrogen and anti-androgens (to suppress testosterone), and transgender men may use testosterone, causing physiological changes somewhat similar to puberty.

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