Over The Counter Bioidentical Hormone Replacement

Symptoms Of Declining And/or Imbalanced Hormones Can Include:

• Unexplained grief
• Anxiety, agitation and/or irritability

Many of our patients have been placed on hormone replacement therapy in the past with no significant improvement. Others have tested normal on their labs and were told that they are fine, while still being symptomatic. Dr. Berutti and her Physician Assistant Melanie Martin have worked with bioidentical hormones for many years and understand which lab tests to run and, just as importantly, how to interpret them correctly. Once you are started on the correct hormone replacement protocol you will begin to see some of the benefits listed below.

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What Are The Pros And Cons Of Hormone Replacement Therapy For Menopause

Menopause occurs when a womanâs reproductive hormones naturally decline, and she no longer menstruates, which may result in undesirable or uncomfortable symptoms. Fortunately, hormone replacement treatment has been clinically proven to help decrease these symptoms, allowing you to navigate menopause with ease.

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Who Might Want To Take Natural Progesterone Cream

Progesterone is a powerful female hormone which can be taken via prescription or in over-the-counter preparations. In general, healthy progesterone levels promote female fertility, helps regulate the menstrual cycle, and can have a profound impact on psychological well-being.

In premenopausal women, progesterone products are sometimes used to reduce the severity of PMS symptoms. Additionally, some women are prescribed progesterone during early pregnancy or when theyre trying to conceive, as low progesterone may contribute to infertility and miscarriage. During perimenopause or menopause, progesterone is commonly used to address a variety of symptoms, including hot flashes and night sweats, and is known to reduce the risk of endometrial cancer in women undergoing estrogen therapy.

Natural progesterone cream might be recommended by a practitioner to help with any of these conditions. Its important to note, however, that progesterone in any form should never be taken without medical counsel. While these products can play a meaningful role in alleviating your symptoms, they arent right for all women in all cases. Its critical that a trained health practitioner evaluates whether progesterone is an appropriate optionand ensure you are using an effective product.

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Does Equelle Have Any Efficacy Studies

Yes, three double-blind, randomized clinical trials were conducted. The results support relief from the common symptoms associated with menopause including reducing frequency of hot flashes and vaginal irritation, alleviating mood swings, and supporting quality of sleep. Read our studies here. In addition, Equelle and its active ingredient S-equol have gone through decades of research, development, and multiple clinical studies to determine the safety of the ingredient.

Hormone Replacement For Women

Although it may sound counterintuitive, testosterone therapy has proven to be extremely beneficial for many women as they mature. BHRT offers the body a natural testosterone boost, which can be highly preventative against breast cancer, osteoporosis, Alzheimers, and other forms of dementia, just to name a few.

Menopausal women often struggle with insomnia. One of the major benefits of BHRT is its ability to help regulate sleep patterns and thereby replenish ones energy. Hormone therapy for women can also restore the loss of lean muscle tone, increase libido, and stabilize mood swings to address anxiety and depression related to hormone imbalances. Additionally, women can remedy their loss of bone density and prevent osteoporosis with the help of BHRT.

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Board Certified Obstetrics & Gynecologist Located In Rancho Bernardo Poway Ca

Do you feel irritable and bloated before your period? Do you have irregular periods with weight gain? If so, you may have a hormone imbalance. At Obstetrics & Gynecology Li Fan MD, INC in Rancho Bernardo, Poway, California, Li Fan, MD provides innovative diagnostic and treatment options to make the exact diagnosis and start you on your treatment plan. Schedule an appointment online or by phone to learn more about diagnosing and treating hormone imbalance.

What Are The Causes Of Hormone Imbalance

Hormonal imbalance is common during the perimenopausal and menopausal years. Other causes of hormonal balance outside these transition periods may be:

• Premenstrual syndrome
• Thyroid disorders
• Polycystic ovary syndrome

Dr. Fan performs a complete clinical examination and laboratory workup to arrive at a final diagnosis and tailor the treatment to restore balance.

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It Doesnt Require Major Changes To Your Lifestyle

Many weight loss methods require you to make major changes to your diet and exercise habits. This can be difficult to stick to, especially if you have a busy lifestyle. With BHRT, you dont have to make any major changes to the way you live. You can continue eating the foods you love and exercising as you normally would. This makes BHRT a convenient and easy way to lose weight.

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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

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Hrt For Breast Cancer Survivors

It is advisable for women with a history of breast cancer to avoid HRT unless other treatments are ineffective, and their quality of life is made intolerable by menopausal symptoms. In these circumstances, HRT should only be prescribed in consultation with the womans breast surgeon or oncologist.

Evidence has not conclusively shown that HRT will increase the risk of breast cancer recurring in a woman with a history of the disease. However, oestrogen and progestogens may stimulate some types of cells in the breast and some types of HRT use have been associated with an increase in the risk of breast cancer in women without a history of breast cancer.

The Benefits Of Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy

Bioidentical hormone medications are as diverse as the patients who take themwhich means that the benefits change depending on which hormones are prescribed. Your personal BHRT medication may include any number of hormones in combination, including estrogen, testosterone, DHEA, progesterone, or thyroid hormones. The ratio of hormones prescribed will be determined by a health practitioner after extensive testing of your hormone levels and a thorough evaluation of your symptoms.

Whether youre taking hormones orally, absorbing them through the skin, or have them implanted subdermally, these hormones are exactly identical to those that are produced naturally by your body.. This means that whether youre struggling with uncomfortable symptoms of menopause or dealing with hypothyroidism, BHRT can help your body adjust and find balance.

BHRT is often prescribed to provide relief for symptoms such as:

• Hot flashes and night sweats

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Do Menopause Supplements Work

As already mentioned, menopause supplements may work for some women, but because the studies on these products and their ingredients are inconclusive, we cannot know for sure.

What we do know is that women taking these supplements claim they offer relief and these claims often come from clinical trials.

Menopause supplements containing black cohosh are most likely to work, but so are those containing other botanicals that affect the hormones, and neurotransmitters.

Some of the botanicals used in menopause supplements address anxiety and depression symptoms, which might directly impact the severity of menopause symptoms.

This is because the severity of hot flashes and night sweats can become worse as a result of depression and anxiety as found in one study published in the journal Menopause.

Importance Of The Right Medical Guidance

As we mentioned earlier, there are some risks to taking hormones, so its best to seek out medical guidance when considering hormone replacement therapy of any kind. A BHRT professional can test your hormone levels, administer the proper hormone replacement dosage, monitor your blood levels, and give you ongoing support.

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What Are Symptoms Of Low Progesterone

Low progesterone levels in men may produce symptoms including bone loss, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, hair loss and/or weight gain. When women have low levels of progesterone, they may experience abnormal uterine bleeding, an irregular menstrual cycle, frequent miscarriages, pain during pregnancy, reduced sex drive and/or weight gain.

What Is The Best Natural Progesterone Cream

Many women are confused about the use of progesterone creams, particularly regarding the efficacy of yam-based or other plant-based creams. Unlike soy and flax, which contain plant-based adaptogenic estrogens that convert into usable forms in the body, wild yam cannot be converted into progesterone in the body.

The conversion can occur in a laboratory setting, however therefore, wild yam is sometimes used to synthesize the progesterone found in progesterone creams. Some progesterone creams are yam-based, but the active ingredient is not the wild yam itself but the USP progesterone that has been added.

For this reason, while the body may absorb wild yam extract through the skin, which may then confer mild effects on menopausal symptoms, results of research on oral and topical applications of wild yam extract have not detected a significant change in progesterone levels in the blood.

If you want the beneficial effects of bioidentical progesterone, make sure the ingredients on the label include United States Pharmacopoeia progesterone. USP progesterone is available in over-the-counter 2% creams as well as by prescription. Choices for prescription-based bioidentical progesterone include Crinone Vaginal Gel in 4% or 8% concentration or in an oral micronized form such as Prometrium capsules.

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Risks Of Hormone Replacement Therapy

Hormone therapy is a viable option for relatively young and healthy women up to age 59 or within ten years of menopause. Although, there are risks involved. Itâs critical to talk to your doctor about these risks before starting therapy.

The following risks are associated with HRT:

• Blood clots in the legs and lungs that could result in a stroke.
• Endometrial cancer if you are taking estrogen-only replacement therapy and you still have your uterus.
• Breast cancer if you are taking estrogen and progesterone combination therapy for five or more years. This risk decreases after hormone therapy is stopped and is not associated with estrogen-only therapy.

You are less likely to experience any issues if you follow these suggestions:

• Start treatment with the lowest dose that works for you for the shortest possible time.
• Have your doctor closely monitor your treatment and address any concerns you are having.
• Take progesterone and estrogen if you still have your uterus.
• Stay up-to-date with your doctor visits, mammograms, and pelvic exams.
• Stick to localized estrogen therapy if the only troublesome symptom youre experiencing is vaginal dryness or painful sex.

Hormone Replacement Therapy For Women

After hormones were initially discovered and classified early in the 20th century, the natural secretions of testes and ovaries were extracted and injected into men and women in an attempt to promote rejuvenation . The notion that such treatments were natural was significant at a time when the practice of medicine was often suspected to bring potential harms to patients . Beginning in the 1930s and 40s, estrogen replacement therapy was marketed to women by major pharmaceutical companies. The therapys success depended upon the acceptance of the medicalization of menopause as hormone loss by scientists, doctors, and women themselves .

Widespread acceptance and prescription of HRT in the U.S. did not take hold until the 1960s. Its popularity amongst physicians and female patients was aided by the publication of gynecologist Robert Wilsons bestseller Feminine Forever, which touted HRTs miraculous effects in restoring womens youth, beauty, and sexuality, and which declared menopause as completely preventable . Wilson even claimed that women who failed to use HRT would effectively become castrates.

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What To Avoid When Looking For Over The Counter Ed Options

Start looking around and youll find no shortage of potential options at pharmacies, grocery stores, and even gas stations when it comes to natural male enhancement pills. However, these supplements are held to much lower regulatory standards by the Food and Drug Administration than prescription meds. Just because a pill is packaged and sold does not mean that its safe to use. In fact, hundreds of male enhancement pills currently have a health warning issued by the FDA.

Anything on this FDA list should probably be avoided, guys, as well as any other pill that:

• Is available as a single serving
• Claims to have incredibly fast, permanent results
• Contains warnings that are similar to those found on prescription medications
• Has a label written in a foreign language
• Is labeled as an alternative to prescription medications

Why Is There So Much Confusion About Bhrt

Theres a lot of misinformation out there about the availability of different bioidentical hormone options. Many ad campaigns imply the only real choice for severe menopause symptoms is between synthetic HRT and antidepressants. There are blogs and websites stating bHRT is illegal or banned by the FDA . There are also concerns about consistency and quality in the products made. No wonder women are confused!

First of all, bioHRT is not banned or illegal. So far the FDA has just wanted compounding pharmacies to refrain from making false claims about bHRT that have not yet been proven in studies. The FDA has approved many bHRT-based products from pharmaceutical companies, such as estradiol products and Prometrium .

Second of all, the best way to ensure quality is by finding a trustworthy provider. You can locate a trustworthy compounding pharmacy thats accredited through the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board. The Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board is a nonprofit organization created by eight pharmacy organizations to set standards for compounding pharmacies in the United States. We also recommend you ask your healthcare practitioner about compounding pharmacies that they recommend and feel are trustworthy.

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Hormone Replacement Pellets: Cons

Here are two cons that accompany hormone replacement pellets therapy:

Please make sure that you consult your general doctor if you have any concerns about receiving BHRT pellets and always inform your BHRT doctor of any pre-existing medical conditions that you have that could affect the effectiveness of your bodys reception to the treatment.

Menopausal Scripts And The Search For Hormonal Solutions

There were two interrelated reasons why the patients we interviewed sought the services of anti-aging practitioners. First, women sought out practitioners to receive hormone treatments for unwanted symptoms that women interpreted as being the direct result of hormonal decline and imbalance due to menopause or a hysterectomy. Second, their previous search for symptom relief had created frustration with traditional physicians who had been unwilling or unable to adequately treat their hormonal imbalance, which led to a search for an alternative practitioner. Anti-aging clinicians shared their patients frustration with conventional medicine and offered an alternative therapy, thereby offering mutual legitimation for the use of bioidentical hormone treatments .

Well I had a hysterectomy in 1997 and they left my ovaries in . and within the first year my ovaries started to fail and I went to over nine physicians over the years and they all told me it was in my head. And finally, it was eight years and I found this doctor who did anti-aging. He did a proper test on me, a saliva test, which tested everything, all my hormones and my cortisol, and he found that I was so totally out of whack. And my life turned around once I started taking all these supplements and the proper hormone replacement. So I am a firm believer.

Similarly, a patient who also works for an anti-aging provider described the typical experience:

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Which Estrogen Supplement Is Best

From hot flashes to mood swings to poor sleep, the symptoms of menopause can be debilitating. For years, doctors prescribed hormone replacement therapy to relieve these symptoms, but for some people with female reproductive organs the risk of side effects outweigh the benefit. Fortunately, estrogen supplements are now available over the counter. These medications contain either lower doses of naturally-occurring estrogen or other compounds that prompt the body to produce more.

Natures Way Dim-Plus Supplementis a bioidentical form of estrogen that can help relieve the symptoms of menopause.