Menopause is an inevitable and natural biological process that signifies the end of a woman’s reproductive years. While it is something all women will eventually go through, the symptoms of menopause can be particularly uncomfortable for some—hot flashes, mood swings, and poor sleep can be disruptive and downright miserable.
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) offers some hope and relief for those that experience more severe symptoms of menopause. Let’s dive into the basics of menopause and how BHRT can help reduce some of these nagging symptoms.
What is Menopause?
Before we can talk about bioidentical hormone replacement therapy for women, we first need to understand what menopause is. Menopause typically occurs in women somewhere between the ages of 45 and 55, and is defined as the “ceasing of menstruation” for 12 consecutive months. This change is triggered by a shift in female sex hormones: estrogen levels decrease and gonadotrophin increases. A whole host of symptoms accompany this sudden change in hormones, including night sweats, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, changes to sleep patterns, and mood swings. These symptoms are normal, but they can also be quite disruptive.
What is BHRT?
Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy, or BHRT is a process that treats the hormone imbalances that result from menopause. The hormones used in BHRT are made from plant sources like soy and yams, and and are structurally identical to hormones produced in the body naturally.
At Blue Sky MD, we tend to recommend bio-identical hormone pellet therapy as a delivery method for the hormones. These pellets are implanted quickly and painlessly under the skin (usually on the patient’s hip). Once implanted, the pellets release a steady, consistent dosage of hormones that are compounded and customized to a patient’s specific individual needs.
By introducing the right amounts of these bio-identical hormones, BHRT can restore hormonal balance in the body and eliminate the symptoms caused by menopause.
What are the benefits of BHRT?
There are several important benefits of BHRT, especially when compared to other types of hormone therapy.
1. BHRT Offers a Customized Treatment
Many other traditional forms of HRT only offer standard doses. This one-size-fits-all approach can cause unwanted side effects that can be more uncomfortable than the symptoms they’re treating. BHRT, on the other hand is customized for each individual patient’s needs. This personalized approach to hormone replacement therapy ensures that patients receives precise amounts of the right types of hormones, making BHRT more effective and less likely to create negative side effects.
2. BHRT Provides Effective Menopause Symptom Relief
Because BHRT is tailored for each individual, it is effective at targeting menopause-specific symptoms. Once the body’s hormones reach equilibrium, the hot flashes, mood swings, and other negative symptoms of menopause are greatly reduced or disappear completely.
3. BHRT Can Help Improve Your Quality of Life
Symptoms of menopause like night sweats, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and mood swings can be incredibly disruptive to a person’s daily life and interpersonal relationships—anyone who has had a poor night’s sleep can relate. By treating and eliminating these symptoms, BHRT can help women lead a more fulfilling and comfortable
4. BHRT Can Help Improve Bone Health
During menopause, estrogen levels decline. Estrogen plays a role in bone health for women, and insufficient estrogen levels can put a person at risk of osteoporosis, making them more susceptible to fractures and potentially affecting their quality of life as they enter old age. By replacing lost estrogen, BHRT helps maintain bone density and overall skeletal health and can prevent osteoporosis.
Is BHRT good for everyone?
Not every woman will be an ideal candidate for Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy. Everyone responds differently to BHRT, and it comes with certain risks and potential side effects for certain patients, especially those with a family history of hormone-sensitive cancers or other medical conditions.
Before you begin any kind of HRT, you’ll need to have your hormone levels tested, and you’ll be screened carefully for any potential medical histories that might disqualify you from BHRT. Even if you qualify, your Blue Sky MD provider will be sure to go over all the potential risks of BHRT with you before beginning any kind of treatment.
Schedule your BHRT appointments
If you’re experiencing hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, or any other symptoms associated with menopause, the first step to finding relief is to schedule an appointment with our skilled hormone specialists at Blue Sky MD. We begin the process by first examining medical history and taking a blood sample to be analyzed in our in-house laboratory. Once we’ve analyzed your hormone levels, we can create a customized treatment to help you restore the imbalance caused by menopause.
Schedule an appointment with us today by contacting us or by taking our free online health assessment to see if you might be suffering from a hormone imbalance.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT BHRT FOR MENOPAUSE
Depending on the types of hormones being replenished, BHRT can help increase lean muscle mass, boosting metabolism and increasing weight loss.
Every person is different. However, it’s not generally recommended for women to begin HRT more than 10 years after the onset of menopause, as this can increase the risk of stroke, blood clots, and breast cancer in some cases. Your provider will be able to look at your medical history and determine if you’r at risk before beginning treatment.
We do accept many forms of insurance at Blue Sky MD. Contact us to see if we can work with your insurance!
Additionally, we also have affordable self-pay options for BHRT treatment.
