During your initial consultation, you will speak with one of our expert professionals about hormone replacement therapy. Our staff will be happy to answer any queries you have and give you the best information so you can make a fully informed decision. At this initial appointment, you will discuss your symptoms — specifically, the symptoms you believe are caused by andropause or menopause. Our staff will ask you about when the symptoms began and the duration of symptoms like hot flashes, sleep disturbances, or libido difficulties.
It is important to be honest about all of your symptoms so that our staff can correctly determine the correct dosage required to correct your hormonal imbalance. Each therapy appointment is generally the same. Before each session, we will ask about your symptoms to track for improvements. It is possible we will change dosage amounts based on how well you are responding to the treatment.
Some people respond more quickly than others. We will first cleanse the area at the site of insertion, either at your hip or buttock area depending on which is most comfortable for you. Once the skin has been disinfected, we will apply a local anesthetic for your comfort. Some patients are needle shy and find that the local anesthetic makes the hormone therapy less stressful. We will only move on to the next step once we are sure that the site of insertion is properly numbed.
For pellet hormone replacement therapy, the pellets are about the size of a grain of rice. These pellets are naturally absorbed into your body and dissolve into the bloodstream over a period of a few months. Since the pellets disappear, each therapy session means that a new pellet is inserted beneath your skin.
We use a sterile needle to insert the pellet to the treatment site. This usually takes only a few moments. The entire process for a hormone therapy appointment generally takes between 15 and 30 minutes to complete, start to finish.
Most of that time includes speaking about your current health and waiting for the local anesthetic to take effect. Other than the local anesthetic, hormone replacement therapy with a pellet is not unlike receiving any other kind of shot. For post-treatment guidelines, we do not have many restrictions. We may apply a bandage to the treatment site and recommend that you wash the area with warm soap and water for a day or two. We will also advise you to avoid strenuous activity.
During your appointment, we may provide additional guidelines to be followed. Recovery for hormone therapy is very generally short. There is some tenderness to be expected at the treatment site, but like any other bruising, lightly icing the area in minute intervals is usually enough to counter any sensitivity.
Most patients can return to normal daily activities within one week of treatment. This is one of the frequently asked questions regarding BHRT. Generally, a patient will start to feel the difference after two or three weeks. The process is not instantaneous, as the hormones must be gradually absorbed by the bloodstream. The full effects of treatment are typically noticeable after a period of roughly two months. After two months, the medical staff will usually be able to tell whether or not the treatment is working.
Following this phase, patients may be asked to come in for a checkup once every few months. This will enable the medical staff to make changes as they are necessary. Once the right balance has been struck, they will continue to make sure it is maintaining the desired results. One of the challenges that we often see with a hormonal imbalance is that it manifests itself in many different ways. This can make it difficult to diagnose as many of these symptoms could also be the result of a different condition.
However, there are a few symptoms that stand out and often signal that BHRT may be helpful. While these symptoms are not always caused by a hormone imbalance, they often can be one of the main results. Some patients suffer from these conditions due to genetics or neurological factors. However, if there is a sudden onset of depression or anxiety in middle age, and there are no other apparent reasons for it, then hormone imbalance may very well be the culprit.
One of the chief drivers of this particular symptom is low testosterone. Testosterone is an important sex hormone in both men and women, and when it becomes under-produced, it may lead to a host of issues.
One of these is a lack of drive or motivation. Men often find their testosterone levels start to slip in their thirties and forties, and although this does not always lead to behavioral issues, BHRT may help the instances where a patient does suffer some correlating depression.
One of the most common symptoms of hormonal imbalance is chronic fatigue. This is because the hormones are so important when it comes to regulating sleep. An overabundance of progesterone may leave a patient feeling constantly drowsy or tired, as this leads to a situation where the brain is constantly signaling the body that it needs to sleep. By regulating the progesterone level, we can correct this condition. Certain women should not undergo hormone replacement therapy of any type until detailed studies on safety have been performed.
You are not considered for bioidentical therapy if you have a personal history of breast cancer or stroke, or if you have a blood clot. Bioidentical hormones are legal to prescribe and use in the US, although the FDA has not given its specific approval.
The lack of FDA approval is because there are no official placebo-controlled studies to prove whether bioidentical hormones are safer than standard hormone replacement therapy.
Insurance companies do not pay for bioidentical hormones because they are not FDA approved. Your insurance will cover issues related to under-active thyroid problems. In the beginning of your therapy, you will need frequent testing to check that each hormone component is in proper balance. Once you are feeling well and tests show a proper balance, your visits can be less often — usually only once a year. The reasons for this vary from the type of hormone therapy, dosage and form.
Each person is unique and responds differently to BHRT. The most common BHRT is for the hormones estrogen , progesterone , and testosterone. Estrogen hormone therapy ERT helps boost estrogen levels by replacing the missing amounts. Estrogen or the female sex hormone is important for balancing the menstrual cycle, reproductive health, bone health, and brain function.
Men produce smaller amounts of this hormone, too. BHRT usually includes progesterone with estrogen during treatment. Progesterone, like estrogen, begins in the ovaries and helps balance the menstrual cycle.
It also plays a powerful role in reproductive health and maintaining a healthy pregnancy. Testosterone hormone therapy TRT is a treatment to help those with hypogonadism. Teststerone is the male sex hormone and produced mostly in the testes and in smaller amounts in the andrenal gland. Women do produce testosterone too, but in much smaller quantities.
If you have low levels of estrogen, progesterone, or testosterones, you can choose to boost levels through BHRT. Traditional HRT are synthetic compounds, derived from pregnant horse urine or other synthetic ingredients. But there may not be any difference in the risks.
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