by Melanie Remy | Mar 20, 2020 | Uncategorized
Hormone replacement injections are a common treatment for menopause symptoms. If you’re going through menopause symptoms, it’s easy to see how they can affect your life as a whole. Therefore, it’s important to understand how menopause and hormone replacement treatment can affect you.
Hormone replacement treatment can help you feel better and enjoy everyday things during menopause.
Health-related quality of life is a standard measure of wellbeing improvements due to medical conditions and treatments. Researchers have studied how menopause hormone replacement impacts health-related quality of life and found positive results. Therefore, if you are struggling with your symptoms during menopause, consider talking to our women’s health physicians about how we can help you feel better and to see if you’re a good candidate for hormone replacement treatment.
What is Health-Related Quality of Life and How Does Menopause Affect It?
Health-related quality of life refers to how your physical health can affect your mental, emotional, and social wellbeing. Because menopause can lead to unwanted symptoms, menopause can negatively impact your health-related quality of life. For example, vasomotor symptoms, or hot flashes, can often affect how you go about your daily activities.
Luckily, menopause treatment for symptom reduction can help with the undesirable symptoms of menopause such as vasomotor symptoms, vaginal dryness, and mood changes. Therefore, hormone replacement therapy may be able to improve your overall wellbeing.
How Do Hormone Replacement Injections Improve Health-Related Quality of Life?
Estrogen hormone replacement therapy can often treat and alleviate menopause-related symptoms. Women experiencing significant and disruptive symptoms like hot flashes, irritability, and difficulty sleeping may benefit from estrogen replacement treatment. Researchers have analyzed how hormone therapy may affect health related quality of life for menopausal women. They found that hormone replacement treatment improved certain factors of health-related quality of life, like usual activities, vitality, and sexual activity. This is likely because hormone therapy can help reduce the frequency and severity of menopause symptoms. Therefore, if you are suffering from menopause symptoms that may be affecting your wellbeing, a menopause treatment plan may be able to help.
At HerKare, our goal is to help women manage and treat their wellness needs. From annual gynecological exams to menopause treatment, we help you nurture your health. Our medical professionals provide holistic, quality care to help you address your symptoms and feel better. As a women’s health clinic that’s owned and managed by women, we understand your needs. To talk to one of our physicians about your health concerns and help developing a personalized treatment plan for menopause or other health conditions, schedule an appointment online today. We are here to support you.
by Melanie Remy | Mar 5, 2020 | Uncategorized
A common, uncomfortable symptom of low estrogen levels is atrophic vaginitis, also known as vaginal dryness. Typically, menopausal women experience this condition due to declining estrogen levels in their bodies. Atrophic vaginitis is often a cause for discomfort and embarrassment in women. However, treating your low estrogen levels may help with this condition and improve vaginal dryness symptoms.
Low Estrogen and Vaginal Dryness
Treating your low estrogen can help you feel comfortable during menopause.
Atrophic vaginitis occurs when a woman’s vaginal walls become thin, dry, and inflamed. Up to 40% of women experience this issue after menopause, but only 20-25% of those women talk to their doctor about their symptoms. Unfortunately, untreated vaginal dryness caused by low estrogen levels in menopause can have serious impacts on your wellbeing.
Symptoms of Atrophic Vaginitis
There are many symptoms of vaginal dryness during menopause, including:
- Irritation when wearing certain clothing
- Painful urination
- Paleness or thinning of the labia and vagina
- Painful intercourse
- Abnormal discharge
In addition, women with low estrogen who are experiencing atrophic vaginitis may be more at risk for urinary tract and vaginal infections. Therefore, women may also notice more frequent UTIs as a side effect of vaginal dryness.
Estrogen’s Role in Vaginal Dryness
Declining estrogen levels during menopause cause your vaginal walls to thin and your vaginal pH to increase. Low estrogen levels also cause a decrease in vaginal secretions and a thinning of vaginal walls. This is typically the cause of vaginal dryness. Many women try moisturizers and lubricants to help with their atrophic vaginitis. However, these products generally only provide temporary relief for less than 24 hours. By contrast, bioidentical hormone therapy may be able to treat your vaginal dryness in the long term.
How Estrogen Hormone Therapy Can Help with Vaginal Dryness
Because declining estrogen levels typically cause menopausal vaginal dryness, it makes sense that bringing levels into normal ranges can help with the condition. Bioidentical hormone therapy for menopause can help restore the pH balance, thicken vaginal walls, and increase blood flow to your vagina. Therefore, ERT may help relieve your vaginal dryness.
Your physician may prescribe hormone therapy when you have symptoms of atrophic vaginitis or other menopause symptoms like hot flashes. Estrogen injections can help reduce symptoms, which can lead to increased comfort during and after menopause, as well as improved overall wellbeing.
Unfortunately, many women may avoid talking about their vaginal dryness due to embarrassment. However, this is a very common condition that can cause major discomfort. If you are experiencing symptoms of atrophic vaginitis, your doctor is here to help you feel better. Therefore, speak to your physician about treatment options for vaginal dryness and other symptoms of menopause.
At HerKare, we understand that you know your body better than anyone. Therefore, our medical professionals listen to your concerns and work with you to find a treatment plan that works for you. We are a women’s health clinic that is owned and managed by women, so we understand how you feel. For individualized women’s care, schedule an appointment online today and take a step toward feeling great again.
by Melanie Remy | Feb 20, 2020 | Hormone Replacement Therapy, Menopause, Sleep
Sleep better and find more energy during menopause with hormone replacement treatment.
Many women experience insomnia during menopause. Hormone replacement therapy has been shown to help insomnia symptoms during menopause. Poor sleep quality affects you in many ways, including your mood, ability to focus, and overall wellbeing. Feeling well-rested helps you tackle your tasks effectively and enjoy your daily activities. Anyone who has experienced a bad night of sleep knows how awful it feels and how difficult it is to function on little to no sleep. Therefore, if you are experiencing insomnia during menopause, talk to your physician about how you can feel better. Your doctor may recommend hormone replacement to balance your hormones and help with your symptoms.
What is Insomnia?
Insomnia is a sleep disorder that can manifest in a variety of different ways. Those experiencing insomnia during menopause may experience one or more insomnia signs, including:
- Taking more than 30 minutes to fall asleep
- Waking up frequently during the night
- Rising early in the morning
- Feeling unrested even after a full night’s sleep
A good indication that you are suffering from insomnia is that you get less than six hours of sleep three or more nights per week. However, even if you get more sleep than this, you could still have insomnia. If you are feeling daytime fatigue during menopause, talk to your doctor about possible causes. Your physician may recommend hormone replacement treatment to help with insomnia and your other menopause symptoms.
The Link Between Menopause and Insomnia
Insomnia is common among women in menopause. In fact, as you age, it becomes more likely that you will experience this sleep condition:
- 16-42% of pre-menopausal women experience insomnia
- 39-47% of peri-menopausal women suffer from insomnia
- 35-60% of post-menopausal women are affected by insomnia
Therefore, menopause can increase your risk for insomnia. There are a few factors that may cause insomnia in menopausal women. For example, declining estrogen levels during menopause can cause mood disturbances and vasomotor symptoms, also known as hot flashes. Both of these symptoms can disturb your sleep quality. Therefore, hormone replacement therapy may be able to help these symptoms that disrupt your rest and help you feel more refreshed.
How Hormone Replacement Can Help Menopausal Insomnia
Luckily, hormone imbalance treatment may be able to help your insomnia symptoms during menopause. Estrogen hormone replacement during peri- and post-menopause can help ease common symptoms that affect sleep quality, like hot flashes and mood changes. Studies show that hormone replacement treatment helps menopausal women fall asleep faster, wake up fewer times during the night, strengthen their sleep cycle, and boost their REM sleep. Therefore, if you are experiencing poor sleep quality, as well as other adverse symptoms of menopause, talk to your doctor. Your physician may recommend hormone replacement therapy. This menopause treatment may be able to help you sleep better, feel more energetic, and improve your overall quality of life.
Menopause symptoms don’t have to interfere with your lifestyle. Hot flashes, insomnia, mood changes, and other common signs of low estrogen levels can prevent you from feeling your best. A physician at HerKare may be able to help you get back on track and feel better again. Contact us today if you are struggling with symptoms related to menopause. Our team of medical professionals work with you to find a personalized treatment plan for your symptoms and help you get the most out of life.
by Melanie Remy | Feb 5, 2020 | Hormone Replacement Therapy, Menopause
Estrogen replacement therapy can help you feel great during menopause.
Menopause is a natural phase in your life, but it can also leave you with uncomfortable physical and emotional symptoms. Estrogen replacement therapy may help you feel better, reduce your symptoms, and make your transition into menopause more comfortable. In addition to the physical symptoms of menopause, estrogen replacement therapy may also help menopausal depression symptoms. Declining estrogen levels can impact your mental health and cause you to experience mood changes. Therefore, it’s important to talk to your physician about how you can feel better during menopause, both physically and emotionally.
Low Estrogen and Depressive Symptoms
One in four women will experience depression symptoms during their lifetime. Symptoms of depression include irritability, feelings of sadness, mood swings, and restless sleep. Menopausal women in particular are two to four times more likely to develop depressive symptoms. This is likely due to low estrogen levels, which can affect your mood. During menopause, your ovaries slow their estrogen production, leading to undesirable physical and emotional health issues that can damage your quality of life. Additionally, menopausal women who have a history of severe PMS, post-partum depression, or clinical depression may be more likely to experience mood swings and depressive symptoms during perimenopause.
Mood changes can be quite common during menopause, but they can have devastating effects. For example, menopausal depression can cause you to lose interest in activities you typically enjoy, isolate yourself from friends and family, and have difficulty concentrating on your daily tasks. If you are experiencing these issues, your physician may be able to alleviate your symptoms and get you feeling better again. One treatment option that may help is hormone replacement therapy.
How Estrogen Replacement Therapy Can Help
Research suggest that estrogen replacement therapy may be able to help with symptoms of depression during menopause. In a randomized study of women, researchers noticed that one year of ERT reduced the risk of menopausal depression symptoms from 32% of participants to 17%. That is nearly half of the women in the study who experienced depression symptom reduction. This was especially true for women early on in their menopause transition.
Menopause also causes other symptoms that may exacerbate feelings of depression. For example, low estrogen levels can cause insomnia, physical tension, and hot flashes. These physical symptoms can all contribute to emotional distress. However, therapy that utilizes bioidentical hormones may help with these unwanted effects, including menopausal depression.
Therefore, estrogen replacement therapy may be able to help with both physical and emotional symptoms of menopause. Your women’s healthcare provider may prescribe estrogen replacement therapy if you have mild to moderate depressive symptoms, experience physical menopause symptoms, and haven’t experienced depression before.
You aren’t alone during menopause. If you’re experiencing physical and emotional symptoms, quality care can help you feel better again and comfortably transition into this new phase of your life. Our professionals at HerKare will listen to your experiences and help you create a treatment plan that is tailored to you. Make an appointment with us today to discuss your menopause treatment options. Together, you and the HerKare team can help improve your wellbeing.
by Melanie Remy | Jan 20, 2020 | Hormone Replacement Therapy, Menopause
Though we often associate testosterone with men, low testosterone levels can impact women as well. In these cases, testosterone hormone replacement treatment may be able to help relieve your symptoms. Many pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women suffer from low testosterone and other hormone imbalances. The symptoms of these hormone issues can be difficult to bear. Therefore, some women undergo testosterone hormone replacement to help them feel like themselves again.
What Testosterone Does in the Female Body
Many of us have been taught that testosterone is the “male hormone.” However, the testosterone hormone isn’t only found in men. Women’s bodies also produce testosterone, just to a lesser degree than men. In women, testosterone plays some vital roles in our physiology. Ovaries, adrenal glands, and peripheral tissues all produce testosterone. This hormone helps with blood cell production and bone health maintenance. Therefore, testosterone is a necessary component in women’s bodies and testosterone replacement can help improve women’s health.
Symptoms of Testosterone Deficiency in Women
During menopause, our ovaries decrease production of sex hormones like testosterone and estrogen, which can lead to some life-altering symptoms. Some of these symptoms include:
- Mood changes
- Breast pain
- Incontinence
- Hot flashes
Unfortunately, these symptoms can be mistaken for other conditions, which means that testosterone deficiency in women is often misdiagnosed. However, if you suspect you are suffering from low testosterone, a simple blood panel can test your hormone levels and help your physician diagnose you with low testosterone. Hormone replacement treatment may be able to help you relieve your symptoms and feel better again if you are suffering from a hormone imbalance. After diagnosis, you and your doctor will create a comprehensive treatment plan to help your hormones get back on track and within normal ranges. Many patients feel a lot better after they begin HRT, so your doctor may recommend hormone therapy as part of your treatment plan.
How Testosterone Hormone Replacement Treatment Can Help
Hormone replacement treatment is often used to treat undesirable symptoms in menopausal women caused by hormone imbalances. For example, many female patients with low testosterone experience muscle weakness, depression, and difficulty concentrating. These symptoms can disrupt your life and well-being and leave you feeling poorly. If you have low testosterone, your doctor may recommend testosterone hormone replacement therapy. Hormone replacement treatment was designed to help balance your levels so you can enjoy your quality of life. Therefore, bioidentical hormone therapy, or injecting hormones that are identical on a molecular level to what your body naturally produces, can help you feel more like yourself again and alleviate your symptoms.
At HerKare, our physicians are here to provide you with the care you need to feel better. We can help you address your symptoms if you are suffering from the effects of hormone imbalances. Our medical professionals can help diagnose your condition and create a treatment plan that fits you as an individual. We can help you find the answers you have been searching for and help you improve your quality of life.
