Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy Manchester
With a five-star reputation, the Menopause Clinic is the leading provider of Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy in Manchester.
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy also known as BHRT is a specific and advanced form of standard hormone replacement therapy.
Whereas HRT uses synthetic, lab-produced chemicals to replicate hormones, BHRT produces hormones that are chemically identical to the ones your body produces naturally. This is a clear advantage, the body predisposed to work with hormones in the form it is used to.
However, effective treatment also relies upon getting the blend of hormones perfect for each and every client. This is where our expertise, and the expertise of trained BHRT specialist Deborah Vines at Manchesters Menopause Clinic is crucial.
We use a four-stage process to match you to the perfect blend of BHRT treatments for your needs.
Hormone Replacement Therapy Risks
Initially, HRT used synthetic hormones or equine hormone medications such as Premarin and Cenestin, which can cause various side effects that are not conducive to the hormone therapy.
Between the 1990s and early 2000s, an enormous study was conducted amongst 27,347 women ages 50-79 for 13 years while receiving different forms of hormone replacement therapy Estrogen, and Estrogen plus Progestin. This study was called the Womens Health Initiative , and aimed to obtain reliable evidence about the use of hormone therapy to prevent chronic disease, in particular coronary heart disease, and obtain reliable information about overall risks and benefits.
The trial was stopped early, in 2002, because hormone users developed a higher risk of breast cancer, heart disease, stroke, and blood clots.
The overall findings have proven to be quite remarkable, considering the drastic differences between health risks of various diseases based on the following factors:
- Type of hormones
- Whether Estrogen, or Estrogen plus Progestin was used
- Age when women began treatment
- Length of treatment
- Whether or not a woman has had a hysterectomy
- Other factors, including overall health of patient
At the end of this massive study, experts concluded:
The findings about heart disease do not support long-term use for prevention. Taking all the effects on chronic disease and death into account, hormone therapy is no longer considered useful for long-term prevention of chronic disease.
What Are The Benefits
Bioidentical hormone therapy has been widely practiced for many years. It not only allows you to restore your body to a healthy state, but it also reverses the signs of aging. Bioidentical hormones have been used to treat men and women for several decades, making them a safe and effective treatment option. In fact, the use of hormones such as estrogen and testosterone have been proven to have a positive impact on diseases like osteoporosis and prostate cancer.
Benefits of Hormone Replacement include
- Improved sexual performance
- Healthier lipid and cholesterol levels
- Better prostate health
- Improved muscle mass
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Who Is Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy For In Manchester
The hormone replacement can be suitable for anyone, male or female, as they age and experience issues such as loss of memory, lack of libido and wrinkling skin.
However, the benefits are most commonly associated with women in either the menopause or perimenopause stage and this is where we specialise. By focussing on this area, we can ensure that we offer a truly specialised service for women at an important stage of their life.
Our treatments are typically suitable for anyone in either stage. Increasingly, there is evidence that many women are undergoing the menopause earlier than would have been the case for previous generations, this means that the need to have an initial consultation can be apparent at a younger age.
For anyone who has the early signs of depleted hormones it is advised to seek an appointment as soon as possible so that the replacement hormones, if required, can start reducing the impact of the loss.
Possibly Improved Heart Health
For many years, hormone replacement therapy was thought to improve cardiovascular health, then a group of studies seemed to show that HRT didnt help with heart health. Now, most experts agree that whether or not any individual will experience cardiovascular benefits from HRT depends on that persons circumstances.
For example, if youve already had a heart attack, youre probably not a good candidate for bioidentical HRT. Its best to talk to Dr. Spiegel in detail about your personal medical history and symptoms.
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Most Hormone Replacement Options Are Bioidentical
The symptoms of the menopause transition are caused by the relative age-related changes and overall decreasing amounts of your reproductive hormones, namely estrogen and progesterone. Taking replacement amounts of these hormones will improve your symptoms.
Believe it or not, most pharmacologic hormone replacement options, especially when it comes to the estrogen component, are now “bioidentical.” That is, pharmaceutical companies have created synthetic versions of estrogen that are very similar to the estrogen produced by your ovaries. This wasn’t always the case as there was a time when the only prescription estrogen replacement available was a conjugated estrogen made from the urine of pregnant mares.
As far as the progesterone component of hormone replacement is concerned there are many synthetic options known as progestins. These synthetic progestins act like the progesterone produced by your ovaries but are not identical. However, there is a bioidentical option to replace your natural progesterone. It is known as a micronized progesterone, and it is a synthetic copy of the same progesterone produced by your ovaries.
Alternatives To Hormone Therapy
Usually, it is left to your doctor to decide if hormone therapy is good for you. Even with the effectiveness of hormone therapy, doctors still dont recommend it for so many women. Recall that women with a history of underlying diseases like cardiovascular disease and breast cancer arent advised to go for hormone therapy. With this, certain alternatives have been made to help women who cant take hormone therapy or whose bodies may not react positively to administering any hormone therapy.
Management options like lifestyle changes and diet options have proven to be effective enough in helping menopausal women go through a smooth transition into menopause.
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Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy
Overview
Your bodys hormones control most of your basic bodily functions. They serve as an internal communication system between cells throughout the body. They coordinate everything from digestion and growth to your appetite, immune function, mood, and libido. So, when your hormones are out of balance, even slightly, it can have a big impact on your health and well-being.
Often, when peoples hormones drop or become unbalanced, they turn to hormone replacement therapies to ease symptoms. One such therapy, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy , has gotten a lot of attention in recent years. It promises a natural solution to hormone issues. But what exactly is BHRT, and hows it different from other hormone replacement therapies?
Read on to learn all you need to know about BHRT, its benefits and risks, and whether it may be right for you.
How Does My Healthcare Provider Select My Dose
People on hormone treatment are watched very closely by their healthcare providers. The goal is to relieve symptoms with the lowest dose possible for the shortest amount of time. Depending on your healthcare provider, you might have routine blood, urine or saliva tests to check your hormone levels. Your healthcare provider may adjust your dose based on your changing hormone needs.
The FDA recommends against using hormone levels to guide the dosing of hormone therapy in women, as normal levels fluctuate day to day. In particular, salivary hormone levels are known to fluctuate and have not been shown to be related to menopausal symptoms.
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Implications Of The Women’s Health Initiative Study For Modernmenopausal Hormone Therapy
The Women’s Health Initiative Study supports the use ofhormone pellets for women as part ofmenopausal hormone therapy. More specifically, it supports the use of bioidentical hormone pellets in the treatment of menopause symptoms.
Bioidentical hormones are, as their name suggests, chemically identical to hormones produced by a woman’s body. Naturally occurring in plants such as soy and dioscorea , bioidentical hormones exactly replace the hormone production lost during menopause.
Bioidentical hormones can be formulated as pellets for insertion under the skin with a trocar in an office setting. The bioidentical hormone in these pellets does not have to pass through the digestive tract into hepatic circulation.
There is no concern about compliance, since the hormone in the pellets is formulated for slow release over a period of three to six months. After baseline lab measurements confirm that pellet therapy is changing blood titers as desired, the patient only needs to come two or three times a year to repeat the trocar procedure.
Consult Your Healthcare Practitioner
Hormones are powerful messengers that affect many different processes within the body and any intervention must be done judiciously by an experienced medical professional. Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy can help to support your body and reduce the severity of symptoms that can occur when natural hormones are declining due to perimenopause and menopause. A consultation with a professional who has been specially trained in diagnosing, treating, and monitoring hormones will help you find out which BHRT option is most helpful for your specific needs.
The skilled and passionate staff at Peoples Choice Compounding Pharmacy uses the highest quality naturally derived bioidentical hormones and ingredients available, the most state-of-the-art equipment, and our facilities meet the most rigorous standards in the industry. Together we can navigate the choppy waters of menopause with relative ease and comfort.
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Program Details & Timeline
- Appropriate Duration of treatment based on each individual patient
In general, the body tends to restore hormones to pre-treatment levels after cessation of treatment. If your own hormone production was low before treatment, it will most likely return to the same levels after treatment.
For your Program Appointment, you will be required to come to our Virginia Beach clinic. Subsequent consultations may be conducted over the telephone if distance presents a problem. An annual in office visit is required.
Saliva testing may be accurate for hormones that circulate in high concentrations, such as progesterone but not all hormones can be accurately assessed using saliva. Since we require blood testing for each consultation, there is no need to collect saliva samples as well. All of the hormones we assess are accurately measured using the blood samples.
RejuvinAge does not offer pellet implant therapy and instead provides individualized BHRT programs. If you are considering pellet implants, we suggest to first review our list of .
Are There Any Scientifically Proven Advantages For Rbhrt Over Conventional Hrt
Tolerance
Progestogens may not be alike with regard to potential adverse metabolic effects or associated breast cancer risk when combined with long-term estrogen therapy. Micronised progesterone and some progestogens have specific beneficial effects that could justify their use besides their expected actions on the endometrium. Synthetic analogues of progesterone bind to the glucocorticoid, mineralocorticoid and androgen receptors. This can lead to unwanted side effects such as fluid retention, acne and weight gain. Progestogens and progesterone can lower mood through stimulation of the neurotransmitter gamma amino butyric acid whilst progesterone has sedative effects through its intermediate metabolites, progestogens can cause PMS-type side effects including anxiety and irritability.
Venous thromboembolism
It is well recognised that unlike oral estrogen, transdermal estrogen does not appear to increase the risk of VTE. Observational and case control data suggest that the use of certain progestogens e.g. dydrogesterone and micronised progesterone may reduce the increased risk of VTE conferred by oral estrogen, compared to that noted with other synthetic progestogens.
Cardiovascular risks
Breast cancer
Endometrial protection
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Why Are Relatively Few Symptomatic Women Treated With Hormone Replacement Therapy
Twenty years ago a highly publicized study on the safety of hormone replacement therapy was stopped prematurely because the authors claimed that there was a higher than expected incidence of breast cancer in a group of women who were treated with hormones.
The dramatic termination of the study was quite unusual and the media immediately spread the word that treatment with estrogen caused breast cancer. The association of the words breast cancer and hormonal therapy was the kiss of death for the hormonal treatment of the menopause. There was an instantaneous drop of 60% in the number of women taking hormonal treatments for menopausal symptoms. Although the women in the WHI study were treated with artificial hormones that were quite different from natural bioidentical hormones in use today, all types of female hormones were stigmatized. A huge number of women went “cold turkey” off their hormones and suffered through menopause without hormone replacement therapy.
Years later, the WHI authors repudiated the results of their own study. They admitted to serious flaws in their studys design that led them to draw totally erroneous conclusions about the dangers of hormonal therapy.
Years after all the damage was done, the authors admitted that hormonal therapy was not as dangerous as they had originally stated and there was no proof that estrogen actually caused cancer.
When Should You Start Hormone Replacement Therapy
Wondering when to start a BHRT program? Perimenopause symptoms can begin in some women as early as in their thirties. But in most cases, perimenopause starts affecting women between the ages of 40-44. BHRT may be suggested to support relatively young and healthy women aged between 35-59 who are bothered by moderate to severe menopausal symptoms.
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Endometrial Effects Of Transdermal Progesterone Creams And Estriol
Women with intact uteri are prescribed estrogen with a progestogen to oppose estrogen-induced endometrial hyperplasia and cancer. Bioidentical hormone proponents sometimes recommend topical progesterone cream instead of oral progestin for this purpose. However, it is unclear whether topical progesterone can effectively mitigate estrogen-induced endometrial stimulation. Three studies have examined the ability of progesterone to oppose estrogenic stimulation. The longest study, which lasted for 48 weeks, found that transdermal cream containing 40 mg of progesterone could not effectively oppose estradiol-induced endometrial stimulation.42 A 12-week study of a cream containing up to 64 mg of progesterone found similar effects.43 The only study that found that progesterone cream effectively opposed estrogen lasted only 28 days, too short a time to assess estrogenic effects.44 Five studies that measured serum or plasma levels after topical progesterone treatment have found progesterone levels < 5 ng/mL .4549 Only one study found a progesterone cream equivalent to oral progesterone after measuring progesterone concentration in whole blood50 .
Taking Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy For Menopause
As an alternative to conventional Hormone Replacement Therapy , bioidentical hormones can be taken by menopausal women to help balance hormone levels. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is believed to be as effective as conventional HRT in relieving several menopausal symptoms.
When Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy is taken into the body, hormonal levels are balanced, and a drop in the severity of hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings is observed. Studies have shown that women who take BHRT are less likely to have sleep issues and memory loss. They have also reported less vulnerability to cardiovascular diseases caused by weight gain.
In some women, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy has helped with vaginal dryness, a problem that makes sexual intercourse painful and fairly enjoyable. Other than helping to relieve the symptoms of menopause, BHRT may also help reduce your risks of developing diabetes and eye dryness.
Generally, conventional hormone therapy and bioidentical hormone therapy have similar effects. However, some research works have shown that bioidentical hormone therapy has the edge over conventional hormone therapy as regards being safer and less invasive.
Why Not Conventional Hormone Therapy?
Compounded Bioidentical Hormones
Risks of Compounded Bioidentical Hormones
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There Is Evidence That Menopausal Symptoms Like Weight Gain Hot Flashes Mood Swings And More Can Be Reduced Through Diet And Lifestyle Adjustments
For women seeking further relief, Hormone Replacement Therapies including Bioidentical Hormone Replacement are considered to be an effective treatment for women suffering from menopausal symptoms.
It is important to understand that the history of HRT is complicated, as many initial applications posed significant health risks to the women receiving them. However, many advancements have been made and doctors now have a lot more information about ideal candidates and best practices involved with hormone replacement therapy, including bioidentical hormone replacements.
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Your Individualized Hormone Treatment Protocol
When it comes to hormone therapy, everyone is different. My individualized hormone therapies are customized to address your specific individual needs and goals. During your initial one-on-one consultation, a comprehensive evaluation will establish the optimum baseline levels for your hormones and identify deficiencies. Your symptoms, and medical history will help me to develop an individualized treatment plan that will function to optimize your health and decrease negative symptoms. Your progress will be monitored regularly, and I will continue to test and review your lab results to make adjustments as necessary to ensure that you feel your very best.
Treatment protocols for bioidentical hormone therapy patients include:
- Treatment for ALL of your hormones that have affected the aging process including thyroid, adrenal gland, and HGH deficiencies.
- Customized treatment dosages that are tailored to your bodys specific needs.
- Safe and highly-effective hormone delivery.
- Ongoing testing and monitoring of your treatment and hormone levels
In addition to bioidentical hormone therapy, I frequently combine hormone treatment plans with a multi-faceted approach that may include specific dietary changes, antioxidants and nutritional supplements to address concerns with weight gain, inflammation and nutrition deficiencies associated with the aging process as well as aesthetic treatments for skin tightening and melting fat, as needed or desired.
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The Benefits And Risks Of Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy
Benefits
There are some clear benefits to BHRT in comparison to traditional HRT. For example, synthetic progesterone has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer and other side effects, including acne, weight gain and mood changes. Micronized progesterone, which is bioidentical, appears to be safer with a lower risk of side effects.
Taking progesterone alongside estrogen is essential for people who have not had a hysterectomy. It reduces the risk of endometrial cancer that can occur when using estrogen alone. It also reduces the risk of estrogen-related blood clots.
Estrogen has many benefits too, including protecting the cardiovascular system and reducing the risk of heart disease. Some synthetic progesterone products block these beneficial effects, but bioidentical micronized progesterone does not.
FDA-approved BHRT, such as micronized progesterone and 17-estradiol, are considered safe or safer compared to synthetic options. However, the same cannot be said for compounded BHRT.
Risks
Because it is not regulated, compounded BHRT is not subject to the rigorous testing that FDA-approved products are. Therefore, its safety and efficacy are largely unknown.
There have not been many clinical trials into its use and there is a lack of evidence to support combining hormones in varying concentrations. Moreover, products could be more or less potent than they claim or be contaminated due to poor manufacturing processes.