Is your wife middle aged and hot? And not the kind of “hot” she wants to be? Ladies, are you waking up in a pile of sweat, and going from hot to cold all day long, having mood swings that go from one pole to the other, and weight gain you never saw coming? You are not alone!
Maybe it’s time to look at the options for replenishing the hormones. Hormone levels do fall as we age. Around 50% of women have issues with depression, hot flashes, and night sweats, as well as weight gain. Studies have shown that around 15% of women can have severe mental reactions to the hormonal changes in their bodies.
Does everyone need hormone replacement therapy? No, and it is a choice, but one you should be informed about. Everyone has to weigh the risks and benefits. It may not be safe for women who have had breast or reproductive organ cancers. But lack of hormones also can be dangerous for cardiovascular and bone health.
There are many foods and supplements that promote hormone production. Progesterone, estrogen and testosterone are all derived from cholesterol so you need enough fat in your diet to produce them. But think healthy fats such as avocados, avocado oil and olive oils, and real butter, not margarine. Carbohydrates need to be kept to a minimum, especially processed sugar and corn syrup which cause inflammation and inflammation just in itself can decrease hormone production. Think meditarrean diet and nothing out of a bag or box type diet.
There are many foods, lifestyle, and environmental components that will block the production of hormones as well. That is a discussion for another time.
Often times patients need medication. So what is BHRT?
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) is a treatment option that involves replacing hormones with those that are chemically identical to those produced by the body. Synthetic hormones used in conventional medicine, have been implicated in studies to be dangerous to a woman’s health, many of which have actually derived from horse urine. Today, they are not so much made from equine products, but are still processed to make them last longer in the body and are not natural.
Bioidentical hormones are derived from natural sources like plants and are custom-made for the patient by special compounding pharmacies. These include progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone.
At Functional Medicine Partners, we will take an individualized approach to help you with hormone imbalances based on your health, goals, and lifestyle. We will assess the root cause of the hormone imbalance and treat you based on that.
Simple changes such as stress management, eating an anti-inflammatory diet, control of blood sugar, regular exercise, and getting 7-8 hours of sleep per night will do much to control symptoms of menopause and support hormone production. Certain vitamins and supplements can also indirectly assist in hormone balance. If you are interested in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, or just don’t know what to do to get your menopausal symptoms under control, I would love to work with you to get things back on the right track. Go to our website and follow the steps to get your initial labs and make an appointment to discuss your results and see what therapy is right for you.
