As women get older, starting from around the age of 30, hormone levels begin to change. Signs of aging, such as a little facial hair, thinning skin and hair, decreased metabolism and muscle tone, begin to emerge.

Menopause is the real killer, once that happens, despite the best efforts with diet and exercise, the aging process rapidly accelerates, bring aches and pains, reduced vision, memory loss, depression and mood swings, decreased sex drive, difficult-to-control weight gain and a host of other unwelcome symptoms.

What menopause really is, is ovarian failure, brought about by decreased hormone levels, which in turn causes the eggs to come out much too rapidly from the ovaries. Once the ovaries are depleted, the ovaries are failed, and the unwelcome signs of sudden rapid aging set in.

If these decreasing hormone levels can be maintained at the level that they were at the age of 30 (through Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy) then egg production slows to its normal pace, and a woman can actually menstruate and be fertile into her 70's. She also retains her vision, her memory, her mental and emotional stability, her metabolism, sex drive, face and figure, and overall health for much, much longer.

In order to make the most and get the best of this simple and sensible alternative, a woman should not wait until she is at menopause ageto start thinking about this. At around 40, she should start reseacring and exploring the alternatives.

This is the best and healthiest alternative for women, yet because it is still considered "alternative" many insurance companies will not pay for this treatment, though a good insurance plan might.

Even having to pay out of pocket would be worth it though - with the choice between having a little money but feeling like miserable crap for the rest of your life, or being a little financially tight, but feeling happy and healthy, I would choose the latter.

Go here http://www.ldnafricaaids.org/ and look at the blond woman in the photo. She is 76 years old in that picture, and has been doing Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy since she was 50 years old.

Suzanne Somers is also a very strong advocate of BHRT, Suzanne Somers. She is around 60, I believe, but looks about 23.

I recently read an article that showed a corellation between estrogen hormone levels dropping and Alzheimer's disease. Could it be that everything falls apart in a downward spiral after the first thing goes? one hormone level dropping, causing another to drop, causing another to drop, until "naturally" you drop into your grave.

Amazing what photoshop and makeup can do.

We are really just at the tip of the iceberg in figuring out what the homones in our bodies really do and how they can be manipulated for good and for bad