Imbalanced hormones can affect your day-to-day life. It can affect you physically, mentally, and emotionally. Unfortunately, many people experience the symptoms of imbalanced hormones and don’t realize it. At Reflections Skin & Laser Center in Cartersville, GA, we are proud to offer a revolutionary solution. Today, we’re taking an in-depth look at bioidentical hormone therapy, including who qualifies for this treatment.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Bioidentical Hormone Therapy?
What’s causing you to feel tired all the time? Is it how hectic your schedule is? Is there another factor at play? You feel like your life is too full of emotional ups and downs. Could you just need more omega-3 fatty acids? How can you tell you are experiencing signs of hormonal imbalances and could benefit from bioidentical hormone replacement therapy? There’s a good chance something is wrong if something feels off.
This generalization holds true for a lot of things in life, including your hormone levels. Men and women experience low testosterone and low estrogen in very unique manners. However, regardless of your sex, your body will send you some very telling messages to alert you that something is out of order when your hormone levels are imbalanced. For example, you may feel moody, lethargic, or disinterested in sex.
The Signs of Hormonal Imbalances in Women
It is common for women to feel that their hormones are never balanced due to the numerous phases in their monthly cycles. However, true estrogen deficiency goes far deeper than mood swings and symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. Sometimes, women start to notice imbalanced hormones in their early 30s. However, hormone levels don’t usually become imbalanced until menopause. Among the symptoms of low estrogen you may experience include:
Hot flashes
Night sweats
Brain fog
Vaginal dryness
Painful sex
Irregular menses
Mood swings
Low libido
Heavy or painful menses
The Four Stages of Menopause
Menopause comes in four stages and each stage typically presents differently. To understand whether you have symptoms that may qualify you for bioidentical hormone therapy, also known as bioidentical hormone replacement therapy or BHRT, take a closer look at the four stages of menopause.
Premenopause
Premenopause refers to the entire period of a woman’s life from her first to last menstrual cycle. Hormone levels peak during the adolescent years and early 20s, leveling off, then declining around the age of 35.
Perimenopause
Perimenopause is the period in a woman’s life shortly before the start of menopause. Typically, this stage of menopause starts between the ages of 35 and 50. It is at this time that women usually notice the symptoms of hormonal imbalances. Hormone levels swing much more drastically during this stage, and many women experience classic symptoms of menopause, like mood swings and hot flashes.
Menopause
Menopause is the end of a woman’s fertility. When a woman is experiencing menopause, she produces much less estrogen and progesterone than she did when she was in her early 20s and she is no longer producing eggs. At this point, there is no more chance of pregnancy. Ovulation and menstruation cease, but symptoms of hormonal imbalance persist. These symptoms, including emotional instability and hot flashes, can last a year or longer.
Postmenopause
The postmenopausal phase of a woman’s life starts one year after her last menstrual period. This phase will last for the rest of her life. Her hormones will continue to be imbalanced, negatively affecting her physically, mentally, and emotionally. They can also lead to premature aging.
The Signs of Hormonal Imbalances in Men
Men are just as susceptible to experiencing the symptoms of hormonal imbalances as women, but these symptoms may present differently. Like women, men often write off their daily symptoms as a natural part of the aging process, not realizing the root cause. Typically, men start to notice the signs of low testosterone, also known as andropause, in their 30s. Here are some of the most common symptoms of andropause:
Unintended weight gain
Chronic fatigue
Sexual dysfunction, including erectile dysfunction
Low libido
Muscle mass loss
Strength loss
Difficulty forming new short-term memories
Difficulty recalling long-term memories
Everything You Need to Know About Andropause
The body’s rate of hormone production tapers off over time. Men and women alike are affected by this change. Women experience menopause, and men experience andropause. During andropause, men experience symptoms of low testosterone. It differs from menopause in that it is unpredictable; it can happen at any time.
Gradual vs. Sudden Shifts in Hormone Production Levels
Typically, men start to notice the effects of andropause when they are in their 30s. As noted above, these symptoms include sexual dysfunction, muscle mass loss, and unintended weight gain. Some men wake up and notice symptoms all of a sudden. However, most men experience one or two symptoms at a time that increase in severity as more symptoms develop.
These symptoms will only worsen over time because men continue producing 1 to 2% less testosterone year-over-year. By the time reach their 40s or 50s, there is a very good chance their symptoms will start to define their daily life. They no longer feel like themselves, they find they have no energy left, and they feel resigned that this is how they will feel for the rest of their life. That’s where BHRT comes in.
Other Signs You May Qualify for BHRT
Besides experiencing symptoms that often accompany your life stage, there are other symptoms indicating imbalanced hormone levels. Your hormones play such an important role in your daily existence that it can affect other bodily systems when it is imbalanced. Examples of symptoms that women and men may experience include low libido, fluctuations in body fat percentage, muscle mass loss, bone density, and memory loss, and chronic fatigue.
When hormonal imbalances aren’t addressed, they can lead to many other medical conditions, including heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and osteoporosis. Fortunately, you don’t need to let these symptoms rule the rest of your life. BHRT will quickly, safely, and effectively restore balance and stability to your hormone levels and life.
What Is BHRT?
BHRT is a proven treatment method designed to improve a client’s quality of life by restoring balance to his or her hormone levels. What sets it apart from earlier iterations of hormone therapy is that the naturally sourced hormones are molecularly identical to the hormones the body produces naturally. There is no risk of the body rejecting treatment because it can’t tell a difference between the supplemented hormones and the hormones it produces naturally.
Is This Treatment Safe?
Yes, this treatment is completely safe. Both estrogen and testosterone pellets are FDA-approved for both safety and efficacy. Each pellet is approximately the size of a grain of rice (3 mm by 9 mm), so you won’t even be able to tell it is under your skin.
How Does BHRT Work?
The most effective bioidentical hormone replacement therapy method is bioidentical hormone pellet therapy. This delivery system involves the implantation of a tiny pellet that delivers estrogen or testosterone at a consistent rate.
How Quickly Does This Treatment Work?
During your initial consultation, we will discuss your symptoms, including their severity, your overall health, and your goals. Depending on your goals, you may receive a slow-release or fast-acting pellet. You may experience symptom relief anywhere from three days to three weeks after your treatment. However, individual results vary. Therefore, it may take approximately one month to experience complete symptom relief.
How Long Do the Results of This Treatment Last?
The results of this treatment may last anywhere from three to six months. Again, individual results vary. However, women usually experience relief for three to five months. Similarly, men usually experience relief for four to six months.
At that point, the entire pellet will have been dissolved completely into your bloodstream. There is no need for you to schedule a follow-up appointment to have it removed. You just need to come in for a quick follow-up implantation session, and the new pellet will immediately get to work delivering hormones to your bloodstream.
Schedule Your Initial Consultation Today
You may feel like you’ve lost yourself, but this is just a symptom of imbalanced hormone levels. Bioidentical hormone therapy can change your life for good. If you are noticing symptoms of imbalanced hormone levels, contact us today at Reflections Skin & Laser Center in Cartersville, GA to schedule your initial consultation. We welcome the opportunity to help you restore balance to your hormones and life.
