Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy

What is bioidentical hormone replacement therapy?

Hormone replacement therapy is a treatment that restores depleted hormones back to their normal levels. Bioidentical hormones are made from natural substances. They also have the same structure as the hormones produced in your body.

As a result, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy acts just like your natural hormones and seldom causes side effects.

Before prescribing bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, your provider does bloodwork to determine your current hormone levels. Then they develop a customized treatment plan that replaces your missing hormones using a combination of hormone replacement and lifestyle modifications.

When do women need bioidentical hormone replacement therapy?

Most women don't seek hormone replacement therapy until they reach menopause. But their hormones start to fluctuate, decline, and cause symptoms before menopause.

Bioidentical hormone replacement prevents and treats menopause-related problems such as:

• Hot flashes
• Night sweats
• Vaginal dryness
• Low sex drive
• Joint and muscle pain
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Moodiness
• Fatigue
• Weight gain
• Headaches

Replacing your declining hormones also prevents health conditions that begin when you lose estrogen, such as osteoporosis.

When do men need bioidentical hormone replacement therapy?

Testosterone levels in men decline after they reach the age of 30. Though men lose testosterone gradually, they eventually have symptoms such as:

• Low sex drive
• Erectile dysfunction
• Weight gain
• Muscle loss
• Joint pain
• Lethargy
• Fatigue
• Memory loss
• Longer recovery after exercise

As bioidentical hormone replacement therapy restores your normal hormone levels, your symptoms improve and you regain energy.

Does bioidentical hormone replacement therapy work for other problems?

Though estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are the most common out-of-balance hormones, they're not the only hormones affected by aging. As men and women get older, their levels of DHEA, human growth hormone (HGH), and thyroid hormone also go down.

Since DHEA converts into testosterone and estrogen, loss of this hormone causes the symptoms listed above for menopause and low testosterone.

Loss of thyroid hormones, called hypothyroidism, affects nearly every part of your body. Hypothyroidism slows down your metabolism and causes fatigue, weight gain, dry skin, muscle weakness, and thinning hair, to name just a few symptoms.

HGH is also a master hormone that affects all the organs in your body. It's essential for regulating your metabolism, reversing cell damage, improving the immune response, and maintaining bone density. Low HGH is also associated with dementia.

If you have low HGH, your provider at Ageless Regenerative Medical recommends natural injections or supplements before hormone replacement therapy.

If you experience symptoms related to low hormones or would like to learn more about bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, call Ageless Regenerative Medical or request an appointment online today.