Is Measuring Hormone Levels Required For Treatment
Yes. This is the only way to know for sure if you have a hormone imbalance. At our office, we will administer a blood, saliva, and/or urine test to detect the levels of hormones in your body. Additionally, this test will identify the hormones you need to supplement, since this is not the same for everyone. This will allow us to create a customized treatment plan that is targeted to your specific needs.
How Long Has Bioidentical Hrt Been Around
The practice of using bioidentical hormones to supplement hormone deficiencies is not new. They were first used to alleviate menopause symptoms in the 1930s, but when synthetic hormones proved easier to produce, they supplanted bioidentical hormones until health risks were identified with traditional HRT in the early 2000s. Bioidentical hormones have experienced a resurgence as a more natural way to replenish hormone levels.
Oprah And Bioidentical Hormones: Faq
Oprah Is Talking About Bioidentical Hormones for Menopause Experts Weigh In
Bioidentical hormones are one form of therapy for menopausal symptoms. Winfrey, who turns 55 this month, writes in February’s edition of O, The Oprah Magazine that she felt “out of kilter” and had “issues” for two years that she suspected were hormonal. Upon a friend’s recommendation, Winfrey went to a doctor who specializes in hormones.
Winfrey writes that the hormone specialist told her that her “hormonal tank was empty” and gave her a prescription for bioidentical estrogen.
“After one day on bioidentical estrogen, I felt the veil lift,” Winfrey writes. “After three days, the sky was bluer, my brain was no longer fuzzy, my memory was sharper. I was literally singing and had a skip in my step.”
Winfrey isn’t recommending bioidentical hormones for every menopausal woman. Instead, she urges women to “take charge of your health” and says it’s time to “start the conversation” about menopause and bioidentical hormones.
Oprah writes that bioidentical hormone therapy is controversial and confusing to many people.
What’s the controversy about? Are bioidentical hormones better or safer than other hormone therapy? WebMD has answers from experts.
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Benefits Of Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy
1. Might Help Protect Bones
Many studies have found that estrogen and testosterone have benefits for preventing bone loss, so some research suggests that BHRT might help defend against problems like osteoporosis or hip fractures. The Womens Health Initiative study did demonstrate reduced hip fracture risk when estrogen and progesterone levels were restored however, claims that BHRT can prevent bone loss or rebuild lost bones have not been proven.
2. May Help Improve Energy
Because declining levels of hormones like progesterone, DHEA and testosterone might be tied to your low levels of energy, its possible to experience more mental clarity, motivation, better sleep and alertness when using BHRT. However, this likely wont translate to a faster metabolism or easier weight loss.
According to a statement by the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, There is no evidence of an effect of oestrogen or combined oestrogen with progestogen on body weight and on the BMI increase normally experienced at the time of menopause.
3. Can Help Decrease Hot Flashes/Night Sweats and Improve Sleep
4. May Improve Sex Drive and Reduce Vaginal Dryness
Up to 45 percent of menopause or postmenopausal women might be affected by vaginal atrophy, which causes symptoms like vaginal dryness, pain during sex, itching, irritation, burning and discharge. Hormone replacement drugs used for about one year or less are often prescribed to alleviate these symptoms.
How Frequent Will Monitoring Appointments Be
It is important that we monitor your hormone levels as you undergo therapy to ensure they remain stable and are effective at treating your symptoms. We will usually schedule an appointment every three or four months to check your hormone levels, discuss any concerns you have, and to make any necessary alterations to your prescription.
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Asking Where To Find Bhrt Providers Near Me Or Where To Find Bhrt In Nyc
Smooth Synergy Medical Spa is proud to be at the forefront of regenerative medicine, offering patients BHRT in our New York office. Contact Smooth Synergy at 212-397-0111 to make an appointment to discuss your BHRT medical options. As a certified provider of BioTE BHRT, we can help provide relief from hormone imbalance symptoms. And get you started on the road to physical, mental and emotional wellness!
Nicole Contos
How Do You Know You Are Going Through The Menopause
The average age women go through the menopause is 51 but some symptoms can be triggered way before the menopause even begins. Take depression, for instance, pre-menopausal depression has been shown to occur as early as 10 years before the menopause.
A woman is considered to be in menopause when they have not had a menstrual cycle for 12 months, meaning she is coming to the end of her reproductive years.
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How Do You Wean Off Bioidentical Hormones
Weaning Off or Stopping Hormone Therapy
What About Oprah’s Experience
“I’m happy that Oprah feels better,” Schiff says. “Every experience is an important experience … but everybody’s individual and they have to work that out with their doctor.”
Some women, Schiff notes, feel better when they start hormone therapy, but he’s not sure if bioidentical hormone therapy would give them an additional boost.
Compounded or not, bioidentical hormones are only part of the picture, Schwartz says.
“A lot of people just want to follow the celebrity,” she says. “Sometimes people come in and what they really need is to address their diet, their exercise, their lifestyle.”
“I think bioidentical hormones are great,” Schwartz says. “But if you don’t address them in the context of the whole person — with her diet, her exercise, her lifestyle, with her relationships, with her stresses — and you don’t work with everything, you’re not really going to be able to come up with the results that women would like to see.”
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Why Aren’t Compounded Bioidentical Hormones Fda Approved
The FDA doesn’t approve any compounded products, for any condition, because those products aren’t standardized.
That doesn’t mean that compounding is bad. Compounding can be useful for patients who are allergic to an additive in an FDA-approved product, says Kathleen Uhl, MD, the FDA’s assistant commissioner for women’s health.
But “the purpose of compounding is to do it on a patient-by-patient basis, so there’s nothing that’s submitted to FDA to evaluate, so they’re not FDA approved,” Uhl explains.
And because compounded products don’t go through the FDA approval process, they don’t bear the same warnings as other hormone therapy.
A woman who gets a prescription for an FDA-approved hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms is “going to get a lot of warning information,” but if she gets a compounded product instead, “you don’t get any of those warnings,” Uhl says. “There’s no requirement for them to provide that because those products are not FDA approved.”
L.D. King, executive director of the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists, suggests that patients look for accredited compounding pharmacies listed on the web site of the Pharmaceutical Compounding Accreditation Board .
Manson points out that with FDA-approved “bioidentical” drugs available, “most women interested in bioidentical formulations do not need to take custom-compounded products .”
How Does Canine Hormone Support Work For Dogs
Rather than using actual hormones, Canine Hormone Support contains their raw materials to support normal hormonal balance. Our formula is based on the worlds top canine endocrinologists protocol of three active ingredients, including a special Lignan Extract from Norway Spruce, in a beef liver-flavored base that dogs love.
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Signs Of Hormone Deficiency In Pre
Most people dont realize the impact that a hormonal imbalance can have on their daily lives. While hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and even testosterone are essential for a womans sexual health and sex drive, they also affect the bodys general health, especially as women grow older.
Hormone deficiency can contribute to memory loss, fatigue, and bone frailty in women. It can also make you more likely to develop serious, sometimes life-threatening conditions such as cardiovascular disease. BHRT allows you to manage these symptoms over time and reduce your risk of side effects.
Who Benefits From Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy
Wondering if this approach to managing symptoms associated with aging really works and if its necessary or even safe?
Hormone production increases during puberty and reaches a peak in healthy adults during their 20s and early 30s. Whether we like it or not, hormone levels then start to decline beginning around our mid-30s to early 40s and continue to remain at lower levels for the remainder of our lives. This drop in hormones is natural and unavoidable in many ways, but we can still help control how rapidly or smoothly this change happens and how we adapt to its effects.
BHRT might help some adults transition through these changes more easily, but this doesnt mean that hormone treatments are always necessary or the best and only solution. Before we go further into the pros and cons of BHRT, lets discuss who uses these treatments most often. What are some signs that your hormones are shifting and, therefore, that you might be a candidate for BHRT? These include:
Part of the problem is that symptoms that are often attributed to aging or menopause, such as weight gain and fatigue, can actually begin in women before menopause takes place because theyre caused by other lifestyle factors. For example, its not common for women even in their 20s or mid-30s to already report having trouble sleeping, digestive issues or a lack of energy.
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Hormones That Are Replicated
Any hormone that is naturally produced by the body can be replicated in a compounding pharmacy using plant derivatives, usually from yams and soy products. The most commonly replaced hormones in BHRT are estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, triiodothyronine , thyroxine , and melatonin. The specific hormones you will replace are dependent on a test that measures which ones are deficient. We will measure your hormone levels at your initial appointment through a blood, saliva, and/or urine test.
How Long Should You Stay On Bioidentical Hormones
As we get older, our bodies begin to release fewer hormones, which can lead to a variety of unpleasant symptoms like fatigue, headaches, hot flashes, weight gain, and more. However, you may have heard about the risks of taking hormone replacements such as Prempro or Premarin, so youre just dealing with the symptoms. Fortunately, Metabolix Wellness Center in Clearwater, FL offers bioidentical hormone replacement therapy or BHRT, which could change your mind.
Bioidentical hormones are derived from plant extracts and have been modified to be structurally indistinguishable from the hormones our own bodies make. As such, they are safer and more effective than traditional hormone replacement therapy , which uses animal hormones that are similar, but not exact to our own. However, even with plant-based hormones, there are limits on how long you should be treated.
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Oprah Winfrey Talks Hormone Replacement Therapy
In 2009, Oprah took to her namesake magazine, O, to announce her use of bioidentical hormones during perimenopause. She was so inspired by how she felt on BHRT that she was inspired to encourage women to take charge of their health. In the article, she wrote, after one day on bioidentical estrogen, I felt the veil lift..After three days, the sky was bluer, my brain was no longer fuzzy, my memory was sharper. I was literally singing and had a skip in my step.
Can Bioidentical Hrt Be Obtained Through A General Physician
Usually, the answer to this question is no. General physicians do not have the time to invest in becoming experts at bioidentical HRT. They are trained to provide traditional HRT and only in instances where the benefits outweigh the risks. Our specialists have undergone extensive training to fully understand bioidentical hormones and how to use them to treat a variety of symptoms. We are the best source for this treatment due to our specialized knowledge of bioidentical medicine.
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Happy World Menopause Day
Today is World Menopause Day and we fully support the awareness and coverage it has been getting recently, with the openness of celebrities speaking about their own menopause experiences and how difficult their lives have been.
It is no longer taboo to be open about being menopausal, with some our favourite celebrities sharing their symptoms and tips from hot flushes and depression to weight gain and aches all due to falling hormone levels.
What Do Hormones Do
The glands that secrete the hormones that are most closely tied to performance and aging are the pituitary gland, thyroid, adrenal glands and the sex organs. These glands are what are known as ductless, which means they secrete their hormones directly into your bloodstream, which in turn means, it only takes very small amounts to bring about major changes in your body. Even a very slight elevation above the normal range of the secretion of certain hormones can lead to serious diseases and conditions, as can even the slightest deficiency in a given hormone.
Hormones are responsible for:
- Cognitive function and emotional health
- Maintenance of body temperature and thirst
The relationship between hormone levels and cellular function is based on balance. It isnt always about normal levels. What is right for one person is not always the same for another, but what is common for everyone is that as you grow older, the likelihood of hormone deficiencies and imbalances increases.
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Even Celebrities Believe In Hormone Therapy
Her natural and rich hair may be at least partially based on the bioidentical hormone therapy she has been receiving, something which, according to the article, is also being used by famous names. Billionaire philanthropist Oprah Winfrey, legendary entertainer Madonna, and Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie have all used them for reasons such as dealing with the effects of menopause.
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy to regulate the normal fluctuations of the body may be like a fountain of youth of sorts, maintaining the body and mind at healthy levels, while preventing the aging process by extending the natural development of collagen, keratin and elastin in the skin. These are essential proteins that all play roles in keeping the skin looking youthful.
To understand this a little better, lets briefly examine a womans biology: four major sex hormones are released by the female body: estradiol peaks in the first half of the menstrual cycle of a woman which may lead to a spike in progesterone following ovulation. Testosterone is produced by the adrenal glands and ovaries. Finally, the most abundant sex hormone released during younger years, dehydroepiandrosterone is tied to energy levels as well as total health. Levels of these hormones all waver throughout life as a person ages.
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Is Bhrt Safe Plus Other Treatments To Consider First
BHRT products have not been proven to be safe or unsafe. Because not enough is known about their long-term efficacy or safety, theyre still considered controversial. Be aware of potential side effects, and know that claims stating BHRT is protective against cancer or heart disease in women has not been validated. If you do decide to use them, do so using the lowest dose that helps and for the shortest time period needed to help reduce the chance for side effects.
How Else Can You Balance Hormones Naturally?
Before considering BHRT, I urge you to make lifestyle changes that are truly natural to see how you feel. Chances are your weight, sleep, mood and energy would greatly improve if you tried some of the following hormone-balancing solutions:
Final Thoughts on Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy
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Healthier Teeth And Gums
Recent studies have shown that HRT can help you get healthier teeth and gums. The loss of bone density that comes with aging can cause teeth to become loose, and as we age, our teeth also become more susceptible to disease. However, when women take hormone replacement drugs, theyre much less likely to experience periodontitis, which is the underlying cause of bone and tooth loss. The improvement in oral health is likely due to the prevention of osteoporosis through HRT.
Insurances Accepted For Evaluation
Sure, they have money, they have trainers, they have surgery, but how is that you can look at a star you grew up with, and yet you look older than they do? Besides being rich and having every luxury at your fingertips, you may have to opt for a more feasible option. Don?t worry, the stars do it, too. There are many ways to stay young. You can work out, diet, go through mesotherapy, use Botox, etc., but all those are not powerful enough to bring you from your 60s back to your 30s. I have never seen anybody get back his or her youth by dieting, exercising, or getting Botox injections. These methods are good to delay aging, good for health, and great for life and vitality, but they are useless in reversing aging. If you really want your youth back, try bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.
It means, that their hormones are most likely OK. The only postmenopausal star I know, who manages to look young still, is Susan Somers. So what is her secret? Bioidentical hormone replacement, because the only way to get back lost hormones is to replace them with the same hormones you had when you were young. Think about it: workouts can?t be a substitute for lost estrogen? Diet and water can?t compensate for lost testosterone. If you want your youth back, take it back with bioidentical hormones.
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