Until now, treatment has included vaginal lubricants and therapy with the female sex hormone oestrogen.

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Tamoxifen blocks the female sex hormone oestrogen that fuels the growth of some breast tumours.

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Dr Perls suggests that the main determinant of both lifespan and age of menopause may be oestrogen, the principal female sex hormone.

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The current combined pill, which contains progesterone and another female sex hormone oestrogen, has been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer.

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The cause of this condition is unknown, but it is thought that it might be caused by elevated levels of the female sex hormone oestrogen.

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For example, higher levels of the female sex hormone estrogen can stimulate the growth of breast and endometrial cancers, and fat cells are known to produce estrogen.

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These hormones include cortisol (which is related to stress), estradiol (the main female sex hormone) and prolactin (which, as its name suggests, triggers her breast tissue to develop the ability to secrete milk).

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These are the male sex hormone testosterone and desogestrel, a synthetic steroid found in the female pill.

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They said hormone treatments such as tibolone (Livial) which used male sex hormones called androgens, rather than female hormones, were more successful in increasing libido.

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