Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) helps women navigate menopause. HRT involves the administration of synthetic or bioidentical
hormones to supplement and/or replace the natural hormones that the body is not adequately producing.
The list of benefits of HRT is constantly growing.
Currently it is known HRT:
- Decreases hot flash frequency and severity
- Reduces all-cause mortality
- Improves sexual desire and arousal
- Improves skin tone and slows the progression of fine lines and wrinkles
While HRT offer numerous benefits, not everyone is able to undergo hormone replacement therapy. In order to make sure HRT is right for you, we recommend scheduling a hormone replacement consult so you can discuss your symptoms and your medical history in detail with our provider.
The main hormones in the human body are estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone. All three can be replaced using HRT, although testosterone is only available in a bioidentical form. Testosterone is not an FDA-approved hormone for women. However, it is very beneficial for women. When testosterone is low, it causes most of the undesired postmenopausal symptoms women complain about. For instance, testosterone HRT can significantly improve sexual desire; sexual arousal; sexual satisfaction; energy levels; concentration and memory; overall muscle mass; and abdominal fat weight loss. Additionally, the female body converts extra testosterone into estrogen in the ovaries, which means replacing testosterone naturally boosts estrogen levels at the same time! Risks of testosterone include: male-pattern hair growth, acne, voice changes, hair loss, irritability and anxiety, clitoromegaly, and erythrocytosis(increases RBCs). Additionally, it is not known if it increases the risk of breast cancer or GYN cancers (ovarian, uterine, etc.) Progesterone is traditionally only replaced in women who have not undergone a hysterectomy to protect the uterus from cancer when estrogen HRT is prescribed. However, progesterone itself is very important for sleep quality - it helps women fall asleep faster and sleep better when taken orally at night.
Traditional methods of hormone replacement therapy include FDA-approved oral medications, patches, and vaginal inserts. Off-label options include bioidentical creams, pellets, and injections. Some of the options are covered by medical insurance and others are not. To determine if you qualify for HRT and which method will fit your lifestyle, call our office at (951) 600-7066.
While synthetic oral medications, patches, and bioidentical creams are effective, they require frequent dosing. This may result in fluctuations in hormone levels if a dose is forgotten, which can lead to inconsistent symptom management
Hormone pellets are not FDA-approved and are not covered by medical insurance, but they are gaining popularity as the gold standard for HRT. Bioidentical hormones are customizable with dosing calculated based on the patient’s symptoms and lab results. Pellets provide a slow release of estrogen and testosterone over an extended period of time – usually lasting 4-5 months! How often they need to be replaced depends on multiple factors including, the speed of your metabolism, your body fat composition, and how you feel. The small, bioidentical pellets are implanted under the skin in the buttocks during a quick in-office procedure.
The main risks associated with hormone replacement therapy are fluid retention, breast tenderness, acne, hair growth, and changes in mood and sleep patterns. More serious complications include allergic reactions, infection at a pellet insertion site, or extrusion of a pellet.
Risks seen when taking synthetic oral estrogen include an increased risk of blood clots, strokes, heart attacks, and gallbladder disease. This risks have not been seen with other routes of estrogen replacement. Certain types of synthetic progesterone may also increase the risk of blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks when taken orally. The risk of testosterone replacement therapy causing blood clots, strokes, heart attacks, and cancer is unknown.
There is also an increased risk of breast cancer WITHOUT an increased risk in death from breast cancer. This risk is no different than the increased risk experienced by someone who is overweight, drinks alcohol multiple times a week, or works in a hospital and walks by the radiology department daily. Additionally, this risk was only found in studies when oral synthetic estrogen and progesterone hormone replacement options were used together.
Topical estrogen creams and vaginal inserts are localized to the vagina. These are ways to treat vaginal dryness and painful sex in women who do not have any systemic symptoms. Vaginal estrogen is very safe and can even be used in women who do not qualify for systemic HRT, such as in women with a history with cancer. It can be prescribed in a synthetic or a bioidentical form. Some forms of vaginal HRT are covered by insurance, others are not. Any of the vaginal estrogen forms work in synergy with our FemiLift vaginal rejuvenation device to turn back the hands of time and restore the health of your vagina. Click here for more information on the FemiLift. LINK to the FemiLift page.
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Wednesday - Thursday: 8AM - 5PM
Friday - Sunday: Closed