Yes, It’s a real thing! Ladies, you’re included in this too!
Kisspeptin COULD be the exact thing YOU need to turn that frown upside down…or UP…you get the picture!
What is Man-O-Pause?
Well, we actually thought we made it up, turns out, we didn’t! Time Magazine wrote a very compelling article about Manopause in 2014 using the term as their front cover. The topic was testosterone therapy and what it can do to ease the symptoms of the so-called, “change of life.”
Although we obviously LOVE T-therapy for men and women, today, we are focusing on a different approach. Kisspeptin is a great way for men to get a taste of what T-therapy can do for them because it increases testosterone. Kisspeptin gets the libido out of the starting block. Then, by adding Testosterone, you’ll cross the finish line and the crowd will go WILD!
What is Kisspeptin?
Kisspeptin, made in the hypothalamus, is an important hormone that starts the release of several other hormones. Also called metastin, this interesting hormone is connected to puberty and may also help stop the spread of cancer.
What does kisspeptin do?
Kisspeptin enters into receptor sites in the pituitary gland, starting a reaction that causes the gland to release neurotransmitters. Those neurotransmitters then signal the release of luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone. These hormones have a role to play in the production of testosterone and oestradiol. Without kisspeptin, this entire chain reaction would be damaged.
Kisspeptin has a secondary function that is not related to hormones. Its original name, metastin, points to its ability to prevent the spread of cancer in the body.
Kisspeptin is released in conjunction with two other hormones: dynorphin and neurokinin B. These two hormones are not understood well, but early research indicates they may have a role in causing the release of kisspeptin.
Potential problems with kisspeptin levels
Having high levels of kisspeptin is not related to any conditions or symptoms, although preliminary research indicates that high kisspeptin levels in childhood can lead to early puberty, but this has not yet been proven. Research has also found that women have high levels of kisspeptin in their blood streams during pregnancy, but why this occurs is not yet understood.
Improper kisspeptin function or low kisspeptin levels, however, can cause problems. Specifically, inadequate function of this hormone can cause infertility by preventing menstruation in women. Sometimes, just one injection of kisspeptin can trigger ovulation, which can allow for artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization using the woman’s eggs.
Other problems connected to high or low kisspeptin levels are still being discovered and researched.
Symptoms of Low Kisspeptin in Males and Females
- Low Sex Drive
- Erectile Dysfunction
- Emotional Behaviors
- Anxiety
- Lack of motivation
- Depression
- Sleep Devrivity
- Overly Sensitive
Although the symptoms mirror those of low Testosterone or Hormonal Imbalances, it’s important to understand the significance of Kisspeptin. It is the responsible for the onset of puberty or lack thereof. It creates more hormones on it’s own and without it, those hormones slowly fade over time.
NOT TRUE!
Well, kind of true, because as we age, our kisspeptin and hormones start to dwindle all on their own. The TRUTH is, we CAN do something about it. If Diving right into T-Therapy has you feeling anxious, Kisspeptin is a great way to introduce your body to the HELP it needs.
How Kisspeptin Helps
Testosterone replacement therapy in some men may not completely be able to restore erectile dysfunction until Kisspeptin is introduced. Taken together, observations illustrate that testosterone therapy alone is unable to fully reverse psychosexual dysfunction and suggests the presence of additional factors in human sexual, emotional and reproductive behavior. To this end, the reproductive hormone kisspeptin is now a well-established orchestrator.
Kisspeptin and Sexual Processing (Sourced from karger.com)
Kisspeptin is a reproductive hormone and so it seems logical that it may have effects on sexual processing. Sexual processing is a fundamental driver of behavior and subsequent reproduction, safeguarding the survival of most mammalian species. The involvement of several brain functions including cognitive, emotional, motivational, and physiological centers in sexual processing. In healthy young men, kisspeptin administration enhances brain activity in several of these brain structures implicated in sexual processing. This happens in response to visual-evoked sexual stimuli including the structures consistent with expressing kisspeptin. Furthermore, in one study, kisspeptins enhancement of activity in several of these structures of the sexual-processing network (including the cingulate, putamen, and globus pallidus) correlated with decreased aversion to sex.
Attaboy!
Drive and reward are key components that govern our behavior. Kisspeptin administration activates key components of these networks to a greater extent in men with lower baseline drive and reward traits in response to visual-evoked sexual stimuli. This suggests that kisspeptin signaling could enhance reward-system activity during sexual arousal (particularly in those generally less responsive to reward), thereby triggering a desire for sexual activity.
When given subcutaneously Upstream fatty tissue), the male demonstrated regular erections even without a female around. This shows us that kisspeptin can uniquely trigger erections without the presence of the female and its associated olfactory cues. Collectively, this data therefore reveals a specific role for kisspeptin signaling in sexual brain processing encompassing, brain activity, sexual appetite, and erections.
Let’s Get Physical!
Several studies have examined the effects of reproductive hormones on libido and associated markers of sexual brain processing. A recent meta-analysis demonstrated that testosterone replacement improves libido, sexual thoughts, sexual motivation, sexual satisfaction, and nocturnal erections in most but not all studies of hypogonadal men.
It is therefore possible, that other factors are also important in modulating libido that may include kisspeptin therapy. Certainly, the expression pattern of kisspeptin and its cognate receptor in limbic and paralimbic structures would point towards this as well as the more recent studies identifying a role in sexual brain processing and erection generation.
Kisspeptin and Mood
In healthy young men, peripheral kisspeptin administration enhances prefrontal activity (as determined by functional magnetic resonance imaging [fMRI]) in response to negative-evoked visual stimuli such as images of car crashes or terminal patients. Furthermore, peripheral kisspeptin administration to healthy men reduces negative mood in psychometric tests.
These data from rodent, zebrafish, and human studies therefore implicate kisspeptin signaling in the modulation of mood and anxiety with antidepressant-like effects.
A Recent Study found in Newsweek…
A hormone linked to reproduction appears to light up pathways in the brain linked to sexual attraction, according to scientists who hope it could help those struggling with problems such as a low sex drive.
The study involved 33 healthy, heterosexual men with an average age of 24.5 who filled out questionnaires on the quality of their sex lives. Researchers either hooked up the men to a drip of kisspeptin or a placebo and asked them to complete tasks while inside an MRI scanner.
In one test, they smelled the perfume Chanel No.5, linked to boosting sexual arousal.
A second test involved looking at 60 female faces in a random order, and showed the hormone appeared to help the brain with computing beauty.
Kisspeptin appeared to enhance the sexual arousal-linked brain activity of men who reported having low-quality sex lives the most.
Boosters!
According to research cited by the authors of the paper published in the journal JCI Insight, one in three people experience psychosexual disorders worldwide but there are few effective treatments due to our lack of understanding of the underlying brain processes.
Hmmmmmm…
“This makes us think that kisspeptin really might have some therapeutic benefits in patients with related psychosexual problems—sexual problems that are predominantly psychological in origin.”
He continued: “Our work is at an early stage but it improves our understanding of human behavior related to attraction and sex.
Depression
Asked if the hormone could help with low libido in people with mental conditions such as depression, Comninos said: “Kisspeptin seems to have a variety of emotional and behavioral roles in humans that we are just starting to appreciate.
“Indeed, we have previously shown that kisspeptin can have anti-depressant like effects in humans. Obviously, the recommended treatments for mental illnesses will be the standard ones like anti-depressants but let’s see where we go down the line.”
In order to carry out the study, the team had to work out a way to get the volunteers to sniff a perfume periodically while in an MRI body scanner. To achieve this, the team created a special device featuring plastic tubes passing from a control room to the participants. “It worked really well in the end,” Comninos said.
Reproduction
Comninos said a seminal work in 2003 revealed that kisspeptin is important in controlling reproductive hormones.
Experts only recently learned that it may also be important for related emotions and behaviors. This research suggested kisspeptin may be important for how we interpret smells and odors.
“We were also keen to build on our previous work showing that kisspeptin has roles in sexual arousal brain activity,” he said.
“Attraction is often an initial and integral part of sexual arousal. So we wanted to see if kisspeptin had effects on this.”
Tip of the Day
With all we’ve read about today involving sexual stimuli, arousal and ED, let’s remember a few things. Things like human interaction, foreplay, kindness, unconditional love, slow kisses, and soft touch can all lead to great sex.
Consider taking the pressure off one evening and just be together, LOVINGLY! Often we get caught up in our age and feel unattractive. This leads to not wanting to be seen, much less touched. It’s important as a couple to bond emotionally sometimes in order to get where you want to be. We can all admit that sex can be a less emotional thing in our early years. But, as we mature, so do the reproductive parts of us, they evolve with us. Whenever I spend an hour on the back porch with my husband, it means a lot to me. Therefore, I feel important to him and that in turn makes me want to feel even closer (intimately). Maybe talk to your significant other and try it. Cheers to the SLOW BURN!!!!!
