How Much Hormone Therapy Costs
The cost of hormone therapy depends on:
- the types of hormone therapy you receive
- how long and how often you receive hormone therapy
- the part of the country where you live
Talk with your health insurance company about what services it will pay for. Most insurance plans pay for hormone therapy for their members. To learn more, talk with the business office where you go for treatment. You can also go to the National Cancer Institute database, Organizations that Offer Support Services and search “financial assistance.” Or call toll-free 1-800-4-CANCER to ask for help.
Risks Of Hormone Therapy
Be sure to talk with your doctor about the risks for HT. These risks may be different depending on your age, medical history, and other factors.
BLOOD CLOTS
Taking HT may increase your risk for blood clots. Your risk for blood clots is also higher if you are obese or if you smoke.
Your risk for blood clots may be lower if you use estrogen skin patches instead of pills.
Your risk is lower if you use vaginal creams and tablets and the low-dose estrogen ring.
BREAST CANCER
- Most experts believe that taking HT for up to 5 years does not increase your risk for breast cancer.
- Taking estrogen and progestin together for longer than 3 to 5 years may increase your risk for breast cancer, depending on the type of progestin you are prescribed.
- Taking HT can make the mammogram image of your breasts look cloudy. This can make it hard to find breast cancer early.
- Taking estrogen alone is associated with a reduction in risk of breast cancer. However, if you take estrogen and progestin together, your risk of breast cancer may be higher, depending on the type of progesterone you take.
ENDOMETRIAL CANCER
- Taking estrogen alone increases your risk for endometrial cancer.
- Taking progestin with estrogen protects against this cancer. If you have a uterus, you should take HT with both estrogen and progestin.
- You cannot get endometrial cancer if you do not have a uterus. It is safe and recommended to use estrogen alone in this case.
HEART DISEASE
STROKE
GALLSTONES
RISK OF DYING
Theyve Completed Extensive Specialized Training
While experience in treating hormonal health concerns is essential, so too is in-depth formal training. Many patients are surprised to learn that there is no specialized training required to administer HRT, and the training that is available can vary widely in kind and quality. For example, some doctors take only a single short course in hormone replacement, whereas others participate in fellowships, multiple years of ongoing education, and board certification. For example, BodyLogicMD-affiliated practitioners are required to meet six rigorous requirements, including completing the Fellowship for Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine, being an active member in the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, and taking part in at least 150 credit hours of continuing medical education.
Always ask any doctor you are considering about their training before making an appointment. At the very least, any doctor you consider should be able to present proof of medical licensing and board certification in a clinical field. The best practitioners go above and beyond with advanced qualifications that ensure their patients achieve the best results.
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What Are The Common Risks Of Hormone Replacement Therapy
Common side effects of hormone replacement therapy may include bloating, indigestion, headaches, nausea, mood swings, breast tenderness, acne, leg cramps, and vaginal bleeding. These side effects are usually temporary and may disappear after a few weeks of treatment. While not conclusive, some studies suggest a link between hormone replacement therapy and an increased risk of blood clots, heart disease, stroke, and breast cancer. Your health risks increase if you begin hormone replacement therapy over the age of 60 or if you have a family or personal history of severe medical conditions. Limiting the amount of medication you take, making healthy lifestyle changes, and closely monitoring your health with follow-up visits can help you minimize the risks of using hormone replacement therapy for menopause. Always talk to your doctor before beginning any new treatment to make sure it is right for you. Our womens wellness centers in Northern Colorado are focused on making womens healthcare services accessible, and we strive to educate our patients about various treatment options.
What Kind Of Doctor Prescribes Hormone Replacement Therapy
Many people ask, What kind of doctor prescribes Hormone Replacement Therapy ? The answer is somewhat general in that almost any kind of doctor can prescribe HRT. There are Gynecologists, Urologists, Internists, and even Family Practice doctors that prescribe HRT. However, that is not the most important thing that a patient should consider when choosing a doctor for HRT.
The most important thing is that the doctor specializes in HRT and has built their practice around it. In other words, you want a doctor that does HRT all day, every day. You want your doctor to have plenty of experience with HRT. Some doctors have HRT added to their practice in the form of pellet therapy. Pellet therapy is not a fit for all patients.
The second most important thing is that the doctor uses Bio-Identical hormones in their replacement therapy. Most doctors are trained to use synthetic hormones like Premarin that is made from pregnant horse urine. You want to make sure that your doctor is using hormones that are the same molecular structure as the hormones your body made when you were younger .
Hormones by Design treats women and men with bio-identical hormone replacement. We have locations in San Antonio, Boerne, and Waco, Texas. Visit our website at www.hormonesbydesign.com.
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What Kinds Of Doctors Prescribe Growth Hormone Therapy
Any medical doctor can write a prescription for growth hormone. Growth hormone in children is almost always diagnosed and treated by an endocrinologist. Endocrinology is the medical practice that specializes in diseases or defects of the endocrine system. Your endocrine system is made up of the many glands the produce and secrete the critical hormones that regulate and control most bodily functions. Therefore endocrinologists are well equipped to treat hormonal imbalances or any disease, or condition that is caused by too much or too little of a given hormone.
Growth hormone is produced by the pituitary gland. Growth hormone deficiency in children is almost always related to some kind of disease, or genetic condition which has impaired pituitary function. GHD in children can be a very serious condition, and should be treated by an endocrinologist or some other type of doctor who specializes in growth hormone therapies.
In adults, growth hormone deficiencies can sometimes be conditions that have continued from childhood, and just as in children, GHD in adults can also be caused by disease or injury to the pituitary gland. In either of these circumstances, it is best to get your growth hormone therapy from an endocrinologist, who specializes in glandular diseases and conditions.
Again while any doctor can prescribe growth hormone, there are doctors who specialize in hormone replacement and age management, who focus on the effective use of HGH for optimal aging.
How Is More Advanced Prostate Cancer Treated
Cancer that has spread beyond the prostate gland, but has not spread to distant sites, is often treated with a combination of surgery or radiation, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and newer precision medicines. Once cancer has spread to distant sites, chemotherapy and hormonal therapy, a treatment designed to markedly lower the level of testosterone in the blood, are the mainstay of treatment. Currently, chemotherapy is also used when hormonal therapy is no longer working and is also being evaluated for use in earlier stage disease. While neither chemotherapy nor hormonal therapy can cure advanced prostate cancer, both can keep the disease at bay, protect quality of life, and extend survival.
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The Psa Test For Prostate Cancer Is Less Than Perfect
Your doctor will tell you to get a PSA test and a digital rectal exam every year. But this autopsy study suggests thats not nearly enough. All of the men in the study had a normal result on both of these tests. In fact, another study says these tests are not very accurate at all.
In 2004, the New England Journal of Medicine published a study that reveals just how inaccurate a normal PSA reading can be.
The authors of the study wondered how often men with both a normal PSA and a normal rectal examination actually had prostate cancer.
These researchers must have done some fast talking. Somehow, they managed to talk 2,950 men into having their prostates biopsied simply as part of their research. None of the men had any indication at all that they were any more likely to have prostate cancer than the average man with normal tests.
What they found was startling. Of these nearly 3,000 men, 449 men actually had cancer despite their normal test scores. Thats one in seven.
That means that for every seven men who have normal findings, one of them has cancer. And the doctors missed it. Whats more, the actual number of the PSA score doesnt offer much help either.
- 6.6 percent of the 449 had an extremely low PSA that was less than 0.5.
- 10.1 percent had PSAs between 0.6 and 1.0.
- 17.0 percent had PSAs between 1.1 to 2.0.
- 23.9 percent had values of 2.1 to 3.0.
- And 26.9 percent had levels between 3.1 to 4.0.
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What To Say To A Doctor To Get Hgh Treatment
It may be confusing to know what to say to a doctor to get HGH treatment prescribed. With the flu, fever, body aches, chills, sore throat, and stuffy or runny nose may be the prevalent clues. However, low growth hormone production may not be as clearly noticeable in the body. Some people may feel like they just arent themselves anymore. There might be a feeling of malaise or just a blasé outlook on life. Perhaps the mirror may hold clues of a deficiency. Both grey and thinning hair are signs of a possible chemical production slowdown. Wrinkles, increased cellulite, weight gain, sagging skin, and decreased lean muscle mass may also be telltale signs that changes taking place deep in the pituitary gland are affecting the body. When inquiring about how to get HGH treatment, some of the signs may not be this clearly noticeable. These are the signs that are affecting the body internally, and may include loss of bone density, fatigue, irritability, slow metabolism, depression, impaired memory, poor concentration skills, weakened immune functions, high cholesterol, poor heart functions, decreased eyesight most especially night vision, poor stamina, decreased libido, joint pain, and even slow recovery time from cuts, illness, and injury. When deciding what to tell your doctor to get HGH, it is vital to make a list of any physical signs or symptoms you have noticed before this talk. The list provided may be a starting point in determining precisely what you are experiencing.
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How To Get A Prescription For Growth Hormone Injections
Growth hormone injections are produced by several licensed pharmaceutical companies. Like any prescription medication, your doctor cannot prescribe it without a legitimate reason. The FDA currently recognizes only two conditions of medical need, that require growth hormone injection therapy: one is for growth hormone deficiencies, and the other is for the muscle wasting that occurs in HIV/AIDS patients.
Before any doctor can give you a prescription for growth hormone injections, he or she must have your HGH levels tested. If the tests, which will be described in the next section, show that your HGH levels are lower than they should be for your height, weight and age, your doctor will be able to write you a prescription for growth hormone injections.
Prescription growth hormone injections come in injection kits that have everything included that you will need to give yourself your daily HGH injections. The HGH in your injection kit is made from recombinant DNA, and is an exact duplicate, on the chemical and molecular level, of the growth hormone produced by your pituitary gland.
What Tests Are Done Before A Doctor Prescribes Growth Hormone Injections
If you are looking for the kind of doctor who can write you a prescription for growth hormone injections, chances are you are a man or woman between the ages of 35 and 65, who has started to feel the symptoms of adult onset growth hormone deficiency.
The signs of adult onset, or age-related growth hormone deficiency include:
- Weight gain, even when eating right and exercising
- Muscle loss
- Foggy thinking or other cognitive issues
- Reduced skin health
Once you find a growth hormone doctor who will evaluate your symptoms, that does not mean you will necessarily leave his or her office with a prescription for growth hormone injections.
Prescriptions for HGH injections are very strictly regulated. Your doctor will need to take a complete medical history and physical exam, which will then be followed with a specialized blood test to check for your HGH level. Since HGH levels change throughout the day, your doctor cannot simply draw blood, and test it for your HGH levels. This works for diagnosing other low hormone levels such as testosterone, but will not work to get an accurate picture for HGH.
To test for growth hormone deficiency, doctors use a growth hormone stimulation test. In this test, you are given a medication that induces your pituitary to release HGH. Once you take the medication, then your blood is tested to see if your body reacted properly to the introduction of the growth hormone stimulant.
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Ability To Provide Ongoing Holistic Support
While hormone therapy can restore health and well-being, it is just one facet of overall health. Achieving optimal health will likely require a multipronged approach. A great HRT specialist recognizes this and can offer a range of strategies to enhance physical and emotional health, including diet and lifestyle supports.
Of course, healing doesnt happen overnight and your needs may change over time. It is important that your practitioner provide ongoing care. Is HRT working? Is the dosage still accurate? Is your diet and exercise plan making a difference? Tracking your progress over time and adjusting your treatment can be vital to achieving the results you want.
Reasons To See An Endocrinologist
Typically, youâll see an endocrinologist in an outpatient setting after being referred by your primary care doctor. However, an endocrinologist could be called in to consult during an inpatient visit if there are concerns about an underlying hormone-related disorder.
Patients see endocrinologists for reasons ranging from diabetes management to problems with their thyroid, certain types of cancer, adrenal disorders, and more. Your doctor will likely refer you when there are concerns about:
Difficulty Managing Diabetes with Standard Treatments
Individuals with diabetes typically see a primary care doctor regularly and may take medication to help keep their blood sugar levels stable. However, if standard treatment doesnât get your blood sugar levels under control, your primary care doctor may refer you to an endocrinologist. An endocrinologist will look for additional strategies to help control your diabetes.
Thyroid Disorder
Thyroid disorders can involve too much or too little of different types of hormones produced in the thyroid. You may be referred to an endocrinologist when a thyroid disorder is first diagnosed to review your condition and create a treatment plan. If there are no other complicating factors, youâll complete follow-up care with your primary care doctor.
Osteoporosis
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How Is Hormone Therapy Used To Treat Hormone
Hormone therapy may be used in several ways to treat hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, including:
Early-stage prostate cancer with an intermediate or high risk of recurrence. Men with early-stage prostate cancer that has an intermediate or high risk of recurrence often receive hormone therapy before, during, and/or after radiation therapy, or after prostatectomy . Factors that are used to determine the risk of prostate cancer recurrence include the grade of the tumor , the extent to which the tumor has spread into surrounding tissue, and whether tumor cells are found in nearby lymph nodes during surgery.
The use of hormone therapy before prostatectomy has not been shown to be of benefit and is not a standard treatment. More intensive androgen blockade prior to prostatectomy is being studied in clinical trials.
Relapsed/recurrent prostate cancer. Hormone therapy used alone is the standard treatment for men who have a prostate cancer recurrence as documented by CT, MRI, or bone scan after treatment with radiation therapy or prostatectomy.
Hormone therapy is sometimes recommended for men who have a “biochemical” recurrencea rise in prostate-specific antigen level following primary local treatment with surgery or radiationespecially if the PSA level doubles in fewer than 3 months.
Resources To Provide Hormone Therapy Online
Remote medicine and telehealth are still relatively new for both practitioners and patients. Not all have the resources to provide comprehensive care remotely. So it is essential to find a practitioner who can offer a full range of services from the comfort of your own home. When it comes to telehealth HRT, these include:
- Consultation
- Treatment
- Long-term tracking of progress
Testing is often the most significant roadblock to offering comprehensive care via telehealth, but it is essential in identifying hormone imbalances and prescribing hormone replacement therapy. For your safety and convenience, your practitioner is able to send you a kit that allows you to easily take urine, blood, and saliva samples at home and mail them to a reputable laboratory. Only after receiving those test results will they have the information needed to create a treatment plan that is specialized for you.
In addition, your practitioner must also maintain confidentiality and protect your privacy by using safe, encrypted platforms for all communication.
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