Hormone Replacement Therapy
The Safest Way to Relieve Signs of Menopause
Women over 47 who have not had a period for at least one year are likely entering menopause. To determine if a woman is menopausal, physicians may order lab tests to evaluate estrogen and progesterone levels in the bloodstream. Most women experience menopause by the time they are 50 or 51 years old. Rarely do women continue having periods (whether regular or irregular) after age 50.1
Two to three years prior to a permanent cessation of periods, the menstrual cycle becomes erratic and unpredictable. Periods become shorter in duration, sometimes lasting only one or two days. Some perimenopausal women start noticing the onset of hot flashes, trouble sleeping, and increasing moodiness.
Symptoms of perimenopause indicate dramatic physiological changes are affecting a woman’s reproductive organs and associated hormone production. For example, ovaries are no longer releasing hormones and eggs essential for pregnancy, vaginal walls become drier and less flexible and the uterus starts shrinking.2
In addition to hot flashes, night sweats, sleep difficulties, and moodiness, menopause brings additional symptoms such as:
- Recurring bladder or vaginal infections
- Less interest in sex
- Depression and anxiety (more than just “moodiness”)
- Weight gain due to loss of muscle tone and cravings for junk food
- Occasional joint achiness and stiffness
- Thinning, drying, and wrinkling of the skin
- Headaches
- Problems with memory, focus, and attention (brain “fog)
- Heart palpitations (especially in women who smoke, drink coffee or sugary drinks)
Nearly all signs of menopause can be traced back to falling estrogen and progesterone levels.
However, menopause occurs at a time in a woman’s life when dramatic life changes are impacting her physical and mental well-being–children leaving home for college, marital issues, retirement financial worries, parents transitioning to senior care communities.
In addition to hormone fluctuation, physicians believe that chronic stress may also exacerbate symptoms of menopause.3
Combining a safe hormone replacement therapy (HRT) program with healthy lifestyle choices to reduce stress and improve overall health is the best way to address physical and emotional symptoms of menopause.
Unfortunately, prescription hormone replacement therapy may cause unpleasant and sometimes severe side effects that force many women to stop their HRT. Side effects include:
- Nausea/stomach cramps
- Diarrhea
- Weight gain/bloating
- Nervousness/anxiety/depression
- Black or brown skin patches/skin rashes
- Swelling of feet and hands (fluid retention)
- Spotting/vaginal bleeding
- Headaches/migraines
A large clinical study conducted by the Woman’s Health Initiative conclusively found that standard HRTs are known to increase a woman’s risk for suffering heart disease, breast cancer, stroke, and blood clots.4,5
Researchers think this is because the chemicals used to develop prescribed HRTs do not molecularly match receptors on cells. When cells struggle to “accept” synthetic hormone replacements, the resulting systemic inflammation caused by this struggle may be one reason why women taking them are prone to developing a serious chronic disease.
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) is Safer and More Effective for Relieving Signs of Menopause
The Endocrine Society, the world’s oldest and largest organization dedicated to studying the human endocrine system, has defined bioidentical hormones as “compounds with exactly the same molecular and chemical structure as estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and other hormones produced by the human body”.
Derived from yams, soy and other plant sources, bioidentical hormones are molecularly equivalent to hormones made by the ovaries, testes and other glands.
Research supports the efficacy and safety of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. One study investigated women between 52 and 59 years old using oral or topical BHRT to relieve symptoms of menopause. Results showed that BHRT decreased anxiety, depression, hot flashes, and night sweats within three to six months without causing debilitating side effects.6,7
Another longitudinal study comparing BHRT with the use of conjugated equine estrogen involved in making Prempro and other standard HRTs indicated that CEEs increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer while BHRT significantly reduces the risk of breast cancer, stroke and heart disease.8
If you want a safer, more effective alternative to pharmaceutical hormone replacement therapies, contact our center today to learn more about the advantages of BHRT.
References
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3285482/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6082400/
- https://www.healthline.com/health-news/hormone-imbalances-and-how-to-treat-them
- https://www.medicinenet.com/hormone_therapy/article.htm
- https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/whi-study-data-confirm-short-term-heart-disease-risks-combination-hormone-therapy-postmenopausal-women
- https://jaoa.org/article.aspx?articleid=2094168
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/natural-hormone-replacements#definition
- https://www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors/hrt
Women over 47 who have not had a period for at least one year are likely entering menopause. To determine if a woman is menopausal, physicians may order lab tests to evaluate estrogen and progesterone levels in the bloodstream. Most women experience menopause by the time they are 50 or 51 years old. Rarely do women continue having periods (whether regular or irregular) after age 50.1
Two to three years prior to permanent cessation of periods, the menstrual cycle becomes erratic and unpredictable. Periods become shorter in duration, sometimes lasting only one or two days. Some perimenopausal women start noticing the onset of hot flashes, trouble sleeping and increasing moodiness.
Symptoms of perimenopause indicate dramatic physiological changes are affecting a woman’s reproductive organs and associated hormone production. For example, ovaries are no longer releasing hormones and eggs essential for pregnancy, vaginal walls become drier and less flexible and the uterus starts shrinking.2
In addition to hot flashes, night sweats, sleep difficulties and moodiness, menopause brings additional symptoms such as:
- Recurring bladder or vaginal infections
- Less interest in sex
- Depression and anxiety (more than just “moodiness”)
- Weight gain due to loss of muscle tone and cravings for junk food
- Occasional joint achiness and stiffness
- Thinning, drying, and wrinkling of the skin
- Headaches
- Problems with memory, focus and attention (brain “fog)
- Heart palpitations (especially in women who smoke, drink coffee or sugary drinks)
Nearly all signs of menopause can be traced back to falling estrogen and progesterone levels.
However, menopause occurs at a time in a woman’s life when dramatic life changes are impacting her physical and mental well-being–children leaving home for college, marital issues, retirement financial worries, parents transitioning to senior care communities.
In addition to hormone fluctuation, physicians believe that chronic stress may also exacerbate symptoms of menopause.3
Combining a safe hormone replacement therapy (HRT) program with healthy lifestyle choices to reduce stress and improve overall health is the best way to address physical and emotional symptoms of menopause.
Unfortunately, prescription hormone replacement therapy may cause unpleasant and sometimes severe side effects that force many women to stop their HRT. Side effects include:
- Nausea/stomach cramps
- Diarrhea
- Weight gain/bloating
- Nervousness/anxiety/depression
- Black or brown skin patches/skin rashes
- Swelling of feet and hands (fluid retention)
- Spotting/vaginal bleeding
- Headaches/migraines
A large clinical study conducted by the Woman’s Health Initiative conclusively found that standard HRTs are known to increase a woman’s risk for suffering heart disease, breast cancer, stroke, and blood clots.4,5
Researchers think this is because the chemicals used to develop prescribed HRTs do not molecularly match receptors on cells. When cells struggle to “accept” synthetic hormone replacements, the resulting systemic inflammation caused by this struggle may be one reason why women taking them are prone to developing a serious chronic disease.
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) is Safer and More Effective for Relieving Signs of Menopause
The Endocrine Society, the world’s oldest and largest organization dedicated to studying the human endocrine system, has defined bioidentical hormones as “compounds with exactly the same molecular and chemical structure as estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and other hormones produced by the human body”.
Derived from yams, soy and other plant sources, bioidentical hormones are molecularly equivalent to hormones made by the ovaries, testes and other glands.
Research supports the efficacy and safety of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. One study investigated women between 52 and 59 years old using oral or topical BHRT to relieve symptoms of menopause. Results showed that BHRT decreased anxiety, depression, hot flashes, and night sweats within three to six months without causing debilitating side effects.6,7
Another longitudinal study comparing BHRT with the use of conjugated equine estrogen involved in making Prempro and other standard HRTs indicated that CEEs increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer while BHRT significantly reduces the risk of breast cancer, stroke and heart disease.8
If you want a safer, more effective alternative to pharmaceutical hormone replacement therapies, contact our center today to learn more about the advantages of BHRT.
References
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3285482/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6082400/
- https://www.healthline.com/health-news/hormone-imbalances-and-how-to-treat-them
- https://www.medicinenet.com/hormone_therapy/article.htm
- https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/whi-study-data-confirm-short-term-heart-disease-risks-combination-hormone-therapy-postmenopausal-women
- https://jaoa.org/article.aspx?articleid=2094168
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/natural-hormone-replacements#definition
- https://www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors/hrt
