The symptoms of a hormonal imbalance can be pervasive and incredibly disruptive to your everyday life. Luckily, at Revive MD Center in Glen Allen, VA, we offer bioidentical hormone replacement therapy that can help women and men restore balance in their bodies.
Is Hormone Replacement Therapy a Permanent Solution?
When people hear about therapy for hormone replacement, one of the questions they have is whether or not this treatment is considered a permanent solution. Ultimately, you will not need to use bioidentical hormones as a way to balance the hormones in your body for the rest of your life. It’s generally recommended that this is a temporary treatment to help you get over the hump of a hormonal imbalance associated with menopause and andropause.
This means that bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is essentially a bandaid so that you can more easily adjust to the lower production of hormones in your body. The dosage for your hormone replacement will be just enough to restore your sense of well-being and reduce symptoms you may be experiencing.
How Long Should You Use This Therapy?
Since hormone replacement therapy is a temporary treatment you will use to reduce the symptoms of a hormonal imbalance, your treatment plan will usually last anywhere from three months to five years. The duration of your treatment will ultimately depend on the severity of your hormone imbalance, the symptoms you are experiencing, and how well you respond to hormone therapy.
That said, some people will be able to use this treatment until symptoms associated with menopause or andropause pass. Since this may take only a couple of years for some people, this means hormone replacement therapy is still a temporary solution.
What Happens When You Stop Hormone Therapy?
When you stop using hormone therapy to restore the balance in your body, your symptoms will generally not come back. This is because you will have been on hormone therapy for long enough that your body has adjusted to the lower presence of hormones, which means you will not experience the same symptoms of hormonal imbalance.
To ease the process, some doctors recommend a type of step-down therapy to slowly reduce the dosage of your hormone therapy so that your body can more easily adjust when you are no longer using bioidentical hormones.
What Are Bioidentical Hormones and Why Are They Better?
Bioidentical hormones are the modern versions of hormones used for hormone replacement therapy. In the past, the hormones used for HRT had been animal-based, which caused undesired side effects. However, bioidentical hormones are plant-based and mimic the natural structure of hormones produced in the human body.
What this means is that bioidentical hormones tell your body that you have natural hormones, which reduces the risk of developing any side effects. This is a major reason why bioidentical hormones are the preferred type of hormone to use for hormone therapy associated with menopause and andropause.
Benefits of Bioidentical Hormones
Not only will bioidentical hormones reduce side effects, but this specific type of hormone also has a few notable benefits. For example, patients who use bioidentical hormones can improve their overall sense of well-being, mental energy, physical energy, and even sexual health.
Using bioidentical hormones can also reduce the risk of experiencing depression or anxiety, and may even improve the quality of your sleep. For some people, bioidentical hormones can also improve muscle tone, decrease unwanted body fat, and make it easier to manage weight.
What Can You Expect From Treatment?
Because hormone therapy will be adjusting the level of hormones in your body, your treatment process will involve many checkpoints so that the dosage for your treatment can be ideal to produce the results you want. Although your consultation and other appointments will be brief, it may take a few weeks before you can be scheduled for your first hormone therapy appointment.
Consultation
The first step of your treatment plan is attending a consultation with a physician who will assess the severity of your symptoms. During your consultation, you will need to talk about when you first started experiencing symptoms and the specific symptoms you are encountering. Be sure to provide detailed information to your doctor about your symptoms so your physician can make the best recommendation for your treatment plan.
Also during your consultation, you will need to provide general medical information, including medications and supplements you are currently taking. You may also need to mention any drug allergies you have and recent vaccines, among other requested medical information.
Blood Test
After your consultation, you must submit a lab test so your hormone blood serum levels can be assessed. This is a very important step since it will pinpoint the exact balance of hormones that are currently in your body. A blood test will give the doctor more insight into the severity of the symptoms you are experiencing.
Customized Dosage
The dosage for your treatment will be customized based on the hormones that are currently circulating through your body. Throughout your treatment, you may have to submit several blood tests to receive the ideal dosage of hormones for each of your treatments. The goal of your dosage is to bridge the natural gap in your body, while also helping your body adjust to a lower level of natural hormones.
Treatment Appointments
Your treatment appointments will usually take 20 to 30 minutes. For bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, hormone pellets about the size of a grain of rice will be used to deliver hormones to your body steadily over several weeks or months. Pellets are usually inserted into the lower hip or buttocks.
How Long Until You See Results?
For many people, you may notice early results as soon as a few weeks after your initial pellet therapy appointment. Your results will continue to improve as your body absorbs the hormones from your hormone pellet. That said, pellets will usually only last for a few months, so you will need to have continual appointments to maintain consistent results until your doctor determines that you no longer need hormone therapy.
Who Needs To Use Hormone Therapy?
People who need to use hormone replacement therapy are generally men and women who no longer produce a high level of estrogen or testosterone in the body. This includes women and men between the ages of 40 and 60 who may be experiencing the symptoms of menopause or andropause.
Symptoms for Men
The symptoms of hormonal balance in men can include depression, irritability, anxiety, poor memory, lack of concentration, fatigue, back pain, and a general sense of malaise. Many men also experience issues related to sexual health and performance, such as a loss of sex drive, erectile dysfunction, and more. Some men may even experience muscle weakness or more difficulty maintaining muscle mass.
How Can Men’s Health Benefit After Therapy?
After hormone therapy, men can reap many benefits, including an increase in muscle mass, better cognitive skills, improved sexual health and function, and a greater sense of well-being. Testosterone replacement in men can also decrease the risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, brain aging, osteoporosis, prostate cancer, and dementia or Alzheimer’s.
Symptoms for Women
Women experience many of the same symptoms of hormonal imbalance as men, which can include mood instability, anxiety, poor concentration and memory, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and more. However, women will also experience symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats, weight gain, migraine, and palpitations.
Importantly, women who are at the menopausal stage are also at higher risk of low bone density and concerns such as osteoporosis. Some women may also experience issues with sexual performance and confidence, including lack of sensitivity, lack of natural lubrication, and difficulty achieving orgasm.
How Can Women’s Health Benefit After Therapy?
Women can also significantly benefit from hormone therapy, including the ability to more easily manage weight, mood swings, and body temperature. Women will see improvements in cognitive ability, sleep quality, and a sense of well-being. Hormone estrogen replacement can be crucial for maintaining a woman’s heart health and preventing greater loss of bone density.
Schedule Your Hormone Therapy Consultation Today
Bioidentical hormones can easily replace the hormones that are no longer produced by your body. In general, you only use this treatment temporarily until you are no longer experiencing the symptoms of a hormonal imbalance. If you believe this treatment is ideal for you, please schedule a consultation at Revive MD Center in Glen Allen, VA today.
