Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy
Hormones — such as estrogen, testosterone, thyroid, insulin and cortisol — are extremely important chemical messengers that affect every aspect of your overall health. So when your hormones are out of balance, your life is out of balance!
Are you wondering if you are a candidate for hormone replacement because you feel totally sluggish, have brain fog, and gained weight (despite even stricter diet or exercise routine?)
Still feeling “off” even though your doctor has you on hormone replacement?
Or maybe you are just “on the fence” and don’t know what to think because you heard about possible side effects of hormone replacement?
Women who didn’t feel good because of menopausal hormone deficiencies often find that hormone replacement therapy made a big difference and “gave them their life back”.
It is important to know that there are different approaches to hormone replacement.
Here's how we do it:
We start by measuring your hormone levels. We only want to replace hormones that you are deficient in, so we can bring you back into balance. Some women need several hormones replaced, while others only need one or two.
We use bio-identical hormones, which are an exact match to the hormones your body used to make. These are available in FDA-approved forms from a regular pharmacy, or in customized preparations from a compounding pharmacy.
We monitor your symptoms to make sure you are feeling better and not experiencing side effects.
Then we re-measure your hormone levels to make sure we have it right.
What are bioidentical hormones?
The term “bio-identical” means that the hormone has an exactly the same structure as the hormone your body makes. Because of that body readily recognizes the hormone, and allows normal functioning.
Bio-identical hormones start with an ingredient from soy or yam. It is converted to estrogen, progesterone or testosterone in the lab, and the finished product is the exact same thing as the estrogen, progesterone or testosterone made in your ovaries.
This is very different to the synthetic hormones that are often used in women’s health. They are man-made chemicals that are made to mimic hormones, but they aren’t the exact same thing. Therefore the risks and benefits are not the exact same, and there are no lab tests to measure and adjust the level of these hormones in your body.
What can be done?
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can provide relief from symptoms due to menopause and perimenopause.
There are a wide range of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy options including:
- pills
- topical creams
- patches
- vaginal creams or suppositories
- sublingual lozenges (called troches)
- pellets inserted under the skin
What is menopause?
Menopause is the time in a woman’s life when her ovaries stop producing estrogen and progesterone. You are considered menopausal if you have gone one whole year without a period. On average, this occurs at age 52, but can occur much earlier or later.
Typical symptoms may include:
- hot flashes
- brain fog
- depressed mood
- fatigue
- insomnia
- low libido
- vaginal dryness
- painful sex
- poor memory
- irritability
- dry skin
- dry eyes
- thin or aging skin, including wrinkles
- weight gain
What is perimenopause?
Perimenopause may begins in early 40s, but may start as early as mid-30s. Hormone levels begin to fluctuate wildly, causing all sorts of symptoms. Because on average it begins about 12 years prior to menopause, women often attribute their symptoms to stress or other causes, not recognizing that the hormonal imbalance is the root of the problem.
Common symptoms of perimenopause include:
- night sweats
- mood swings
- anxiety
- irritability
- waking up in the night
- worse PMS symptoms (like breast tenderness, fluid retention and bloating)
- longer PMS (lasting 1-2 weeks instead of just 1-2 days)
- heavier periods
- irregular periods or more frequent periods
- premenstrual spotting
- weight gain
Are hormones safe?
While there are risks and benefits to everything, the benefits of hormone replacement far outweigh the risks for most women, especially women who are within 5-10 years of menopause.
If you are concerned about the risks of hormone replacement, you can discuss it with your BHRT practitioner.
There are some women who are not good candidates for menopausal hormone replacement, so a personalized approach is important.
If you are not a good candidate for estrogen replacement, or you don’t want menopausal hormone replacement therapy, it is still important for the rest of your hormones to be balanced! Cortisol, thyroid, insulin and other hormones are all important for optimal health.
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Journey Back To Health
Interested in exploring our programs? Considering becoming a patient? We are happy to answer any questions to help you determine if Midlife Wellness Institute is right for you.