by SXHH Marketing | Apr 20, 2020 | Hormone Replacement Therapy, Menopause
Low estrogen during menopause can cause many changes in your life. It may even affect the appearance of your breasts.
Hot flashes, mood swings, vaginal dryness – low estrogen during menopause can cause a lot of uncomfortable changes. Most of us know about these common symptoms of menopause. However, low estrogen may also cause our breasts to change as well. Learn about some common breast changes during menopause and how your hormone doctor may be able to help.
Summary
- Breast changes from low estrogen occur because of the declining hormone levels from menopause. As estrogen drops, breasts often become smaller and less dense, leading to noticeable changes in appearance.
- Menopause breast appearance changes are caused by tissue transformation and a decrease in skin elasticity. Low estrogen levels cause the mammary glands to shrink and loose firmness, which results in flatter breasts. This is a common physical change that comes with menopause, along with hot flashes and vaginal dryness.
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may help with low estrogen breast changes. While HRT cannot fully reverse the sagging or natural aging, it may preserve breast size and density compared to women who do not use hormone therapy.
How Low Estrogen Can Change Your Breasts
Low estrogen levels can decrease the amount of fat and tissue in your breasts, leaving them smaller and less full than they used to be. Additionally, mammary gland tissue typically shrinks during menopause, which also may leave your breasts looking different. Your breasts may also begin to sag as your estrogen levels plummet, as the connective tissues in your breasts start to become dehydrated and lose elasticity.
In addition, low estrogen may cause changes in your nipples and areolae. During menopause, you may notice that your nipples start to turn slightly inward. Your nipples and areolae may also start to shrink. However, some studies suggest that hormone replacement treatment may help prevent these changes.
The Role of Hormone Replacement Treatment In Breast Appearance
In 2012, a group of researchers set out to find how some environmental factors can influence breast aging, including hormone therapy. To do so, they studied 161 pairs of identical twins and assessed several different metrics of their breast appearance. The study found that the women who received hormone therapy after menopause had higher scores in many different elements of breast appearance. Some areas where these women scored higher included:
- Breast shape
- Breast size
- Areola shape
- Areola size
- Breast projection
- Fullness in the upper part of the breast
- Patches of discoloration on breast skin
The results of this study suggest that hormone therapy for menopausal women may play a role in how your breasts change. While low estrogen levels can cause many unwanted symptoms during menopause, your hormone doctor helps bring your hormones back into balance. This may help reduce breast changes during menopause. However, as Johns Hopkins notes, estrogen replacement treatment won’t improve breast ptosis if they were saggy before menopause.
At HerKare, we take time to understand who you are as an individual to help develop a personalized treatment plan for your symptoms. We understand how menopause can make you feel. Therefore, we offer advanced treatments to reduce your symptoms and help you feel better. Our women’s health clinic is owned and operated by women for women, as our goal is to provide healthcare that helps women address their symptoms and feel better. Schedule an appointment at one of our clinics online to start feeling well again. At HerKare, we listen, we understand, and we help you feel like yourself again.
by SXHH Marketing | Apr 3, 2020 | Hormone Replacement Therapy, Menopause
Menopause may increase your risk for recurring UTIs, which are uncomfortable and sometimes painful. Women’s hormone care may help reduce negative symptoms of menopause.
Many women notice that they start to get recurring urinary tract infections during menopause. Declining estrogen levels during menopause may cause changes in your bladder that make you more susceptible to urinary tract infections. However, women’s hormone care may help with recurring UTIs during menopause. Women’s hormone care helps reduce symptoms caused by hormonal imbalances that many women experience during menopause, and there may be a link between estrogen and bladder changes as we age.
Menopause Increases Your Risk for Urinary Tract Infections
During menopause, your bladder’s volume and elasticity decline. This makes your bladder less able to hold the urine in your bladder. Therefore, you may notice that you need to use the restroom more frequently after menopause. Paired with thinning vaginal walls and a thinning urethra, this may increase the likelihood for UTIs. In fact, your risk for urinary tract infections increases within four to five years after your final period. However, women’s hormone care works to help reduce the symptoms of menopause and may also help keep your urinary tract bacteria-free.
How Women’s Hormone Care May Help
Decreasing estrogen levels during menopause may contribute to recurring UTIs. Your bladder contains many estrogen receptors, which may be affected during menopause. Researchers conducted a study to determine how estrogen replacement therapy affects urinary tract infections during menopause and found some positive results. The group who received women’s hormone care for menopause symptoms also reduced the number of urinary tract infections they experienced. The researchers also compared the estrogen replacement therapy group to a group who took low dose preventative antibiotics that are often prescribed for recurring UTIs. Therefore, hormone therapy may help with frequent UTIs during menopause.
Women’s Hormone Care May Help Improve Your Vaginal Microbiome
One theory proposes that women’s hormone care helps prevent UTIs because it improves the vaginal microbiome. Your vagina has its own ecosystem of bacteria that may help protect your urethra from harmful bacteria such as E. coli. A common type of bacteria found in the vagina, Lactobacillus, produce lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide which can help prevent pathogens from traveling toward the urethra. However, declining estrogen levels during menopause may also decrease the amount of Lactobacillus in your vagina, leaving your urinary tract more vulnerable during menopause. However, hormone therapy may help restore your vaginal microbiome and help fight off bacteria that could cause UTIs.
At HerKare, we provide comprehensive healthcare for women. Our providers help you find the women’s hormone care options that work for you and help you feel better. If menopause has you feeling poorly, our goal is to help you feel like yourself again. We take your individual needs into account when developing a treatment plan to help address your symptoms. Our team is with you every step of the way, even after you’ve started your treatment plan. We stay up to date with your progress and help you adjust your treatment plan as needed. At HerKare, there is no one-size-fits-all care. Schedule your appointment online today to learn how we can help you feel better. We are here to help.
by SXHH Marketing | 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 SXHH Marketing | Mar 16, 2020 | Uncategorized
PLEASE READ: COVID-19
In response to the COVID-19 virus, HerKare is taking extra precautions for your safety, and the safety of our staff. We have implemented enhanced cleaning and sterilization procedures in the centers and are taking additional actions which meet or exceed the standards set by the CDC.
If you have (i) traveled outside the United States to a high risk area (China, Italy, Iran, South Korea, or Japan), (ii) been exposed to a person known to have COVID-19, or (iii) are currently experiencing the symptoms associated with COVID-19 (fever or symptoms of lower respiratory illness (e.g., cough, shortness of breath), please call us at 817-533-8853 before coming to the center. Your HerKare provider will be able to discuss options for you to that will allow your therapy to continue, uninterrupted, keeping you, other patients, and our staff safe.
HerKare is OPEN, but in efforts support the CDC’s suggestion of social distancing, we are also offering interim treatment plans for our current clients that might not feel comfortable traveling to and from our locations for treatment or for those with compromised immune systems. We can help with interim take-home treatment options for most of our services in efforts to support suggestions from the CDC. Please reach out to your local HerKare center for more information and further directions.
If you have questions or concerns regarding these issues and need guidance, please call 817-533-8853 to speak with one of our professionals. You can also request a call back from one of our physicians or providers who are available to respond to your requests.
All the best in good health,
The Medical Team at HerKare
by SXHH Marketing | 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.
