Hormone Replacement Therapy

Watching women go through menopause, you understand immediately why hot flashes are such a big deal. The rush of heat, flushing and blotchy skin, and perspiration can be distressing and embarrassing at the best of times—and when these moments occur at night, they may be even worse. Menopausal women often deal with the rapid heartbeat and uncomfortable flushing multiple times per day (or per hour) and can experience chronic insomnia as a result. Depending on the woman, this perfect storm of discomfort can last anywhere from five to ten years or more. Combine hot flashes with the mood swings, vaginal discomfort, and other widely varied symptoms of menopause, and it’s no wonder women are seeking relief.

Billie struggled with painful periods throughout her adult years. She felt at the mercy of her monthly cycles, which were irregular, heavy, and came with crippling cramps. At age 23 her doctor finally put a name on her discomfort: endometriosis. But even with an accurate diagnosis, she struggled for years to find the right treatment. Relief only came after her second pregnancy when doctors urged her toward surgery to finally address her painful symptoms; thanks to a radical hysterectomy, Billie’s life changed forever. But while the hysterectomy brought welcome relief from her pain, it also introduced new complications.

Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is a powerful therapy made from plant-based hormones that are chemically identical to those produced by the body. BHRT is prescribed to treat a wide variety of hormone-related symptoms in both men and women, including those going through menopause or andropause and who have thyroid disorders or adrenal fatigue. Whether you need support due to natural hormonal transitions or a medical condition, BHRT can be a life-changing therapy that has helped people take control of their health and find a comfortable balance for over 30 years.

Thyroid conditions can be frustrating to discover. They masquerade as major depression, chronic fatigue, or even acid reflux, and produce any number of uncomfortable and confusing symptoms that may take months to notice and treat. If you’ve been recently diagnosed with a thyroid condition, it’s normal to feel scared, frustrated, or angry—it’s always difficult to make peace with the fact that our bodies sometimes don’t perform their normal functions as we need them to.

Menopause is a natural phenomenon that women experience as they age. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. As your ovaries cease estrogen production, you’ve likely experienced some of your most significant bodily changes since puberty. Hot flashes, weight gain, insomnia, and depression are just the tip of the iceberg for women in the beginning of menopause, and some women deal with these symptoms for years afterward.

Hormone replacement therapy is oftentimes an effective solution for men and women struggling with symptoms of hormone imbalance related to aging or certain conditions and diseases. Hormone therapy is one of the most effective treatment options for hormone imbalance when administered under the care and guidance of a highly-trained medical practitioner.

Fluctuating hormones can turn your life upside down. If you’re going through menopause or andropause, you’ve probably experienced hot flashes, mood swings, fatigue, or other symptoms that can leave you feeling unstable. And change of life isn’t the only condition caused by fluctuating hormones; conditions such as adrenal fatigue and thyroid imbalances can also have a disruptive impact on your physical and emotional well-being. Regardless of the cause, these changes can be uncomfortable and alarming.

If you’ve ever seen a commercial for a drug on the television, you know that many medications carry a host of potential risks and side effects. At times, the seemingly endless list of possible outcomes can even make some therapies seem worse than the conditions they treat. On the flip side, you’ve probably also taken medications without ever experiencing any side effects at all. So how concerned should you be regarding the risks of hormone replacement therapy?

When you begin taking a new medication, it is common to become acutely aware of unexpected changes in your body. After all, many medications have profound physiological effects that can cause everything from temporary discomfort to dangerous side effects. And despite the efforts of doctors and pharmacists to educate their patients on the side effects of drug therapies, it’s impossible to predict how a medication will interact with each person’s body. As a result, patients are often left wondering whether their side effects are normal or cause for concern.

If you’ve stepped on a scale recently and been unpleasantly surprised by the numbers, you may be searching for a reason behind your unintentional weight gain. If you’ve recently started taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for menopause, you might suspect your new hormone regimen is the culprit. Or is it menopause itself?