The Benefits of Hormone Replacement Therapy

As we age, our bodies naturally stop producing sex hormones, such as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. This process, known as menopause in women, contributes to a wide array of negative symptoms, including hot flashes, night sweats, fatigue, weight gain, joint pain, brain fog, and memory loss, to name a few. While this hormone decline is inevitable, the symptoms experienced do not have to be. Many solutions are available to help alleviate the pains and frustrations of declining hormones and help you live your best and healthiest life. For our patients, we recommend hormone replacement therapy with bioidentical hormones. Here’s why: 

HORMONES

Our sex hormones are extremely important in maintaining how we feel from day to day and keep us free from many chronic diseases. For women, sex hormones are important for controlling monthly menstrual cycles, help maintain strong and healthy bones, and contribute to heart and brain health. During menopause, women’s ovaries decrease how much hormones they produce, making women much more susceptible to conditions like osteoporosis, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, dementia, and cardiovascular disease.

As hormones decline, many women start to notice our energy, endurance, and mental focus decline, nothing they feel much older and less vibrant. Replacing hormones with bioidentical hormones can help to ease the symptoms of menopause and prevent chronic disease. Studies show significant improvement in sleep, hot flashes, night sweats, and fatigue after just one week of hormone replacement therapy in early menopause.

HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY

With so many different kinds of hormone replacement therapy available, it can be challenging to decide which is best for you. Our experts always recommend hormone replacement therapies that use bioidentical hormones because they are the safest option available. 

Bioidentical means that the lab-made hormone matches the molecular structure our bodies produce naturally. Because of this, bioidentical hormones are much safer than the synthetic forms that are also available on the market and produce far fewer side effects and adverse reactions. The bioidentical hormones our office uses are made at a compounding pharmacy, meaning we individualize the dosing to your labs and symptoms. 

Hormone replacement therapy is especially beneficial for women just starting their journey through menopause. During this time, women’s bodies may still produce hormones, but not in the same quantities as they were. This phase of menopause is often called perimenopause. Throughout this phase, women will start experiencing symptoms, such as hot flashes, poor sleep, irritability, night sweats, irregular menstruation, and fatigue. By supplementing your natural hormone production with a small amount of bioidentical hormone, you can make the shift into menopause much more comfortable. 

BENEFITS

While many women notice that hot flashes eventually decline after menopause, other unwanted symptoms often remain. Post-menopausal women often experiencing low energy, brain fog and decreased mental clarity, poor sleep, joint pain, urinary incontinence or urgency, increased frequency of headaches, low libido, and vaginal dryness. Hormone replacement therapy can improve all of these symptoms associated with low hormones. 

Often, during this time, women will notice declines in their bone, cardiovascular, and brain health. Studies show that hormone replacement therapy initiated after menopause significantly reduced the incidences of heart attacks, heart failure, and all-cause mortality.

Hormone replacement therapy can improve your overall quality of life and health. Our patients often notice significant symptom improvement in as little as one week after initiating hormone replacement therapy. This improvement will filter into the rest of your life, leading to more fulfilling relationships, success in your fitness and career goals, and improved emotional well-being.

Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is a safe and effective treatment to reduce the symptoms of menopause and prevent chronic diseases, contributing to a happier and healthier life. We invite you to schedule a free consultation with one of our hormone experts to discuss the various forms of bioidentical hormones offered and what fits best with your lifestyle. 

SOURCES

Meason B. Effect of Hormone Replacement Therapy on Cardiovascular Events in Recently Postmenopausal Women: Randomised Trial. The Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2013;44(2):572. doi:10.1016/j.jemermed.2012.12.007.

Pitkin J, Smetnik VP, Vadász P, Mustonen M, Salminen K, Ylikangas S. Continuous combined hormone replacement therapy relieves climacteric symptoms and improves health-related quality of life in early postmenopausal women. Menopause International. 2007;13(3):116-123. doi:10.1258/175404507781605622.