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.
by Melanie Remy | Jan 3, 2020 | Hormone Replacement Therapy, Menopause
Many menopausal women turn to women’s hormone care to help them feel better. This treatment can help relieve common symptoms like hot flashes, mood changes, and sleep problems. However, there is a lot of misinformation out there about women’s hormone care. A quick internet search can leave you feeling confused about hormone replacement treatment. Read on to discover common myths and the realities about hormone replacement for menopause treatment.
Myth 1: Women’s Hormone Care Can Delay Menopause
A common misconception about women’s hormone care is that it can delay menopause. However, this is not the case. Hormone replacement treatment isn’t a “cure” for menopause, and it can’t stop or delay this natural progression. Estrogen replacement is used to help treat unwanted symptoms of menopause to help you feel better. Some women experience life altering symptoms like depression, mood swings, and headaches that cause them to feel awful. Hormone replacement therapy is used to help with these effects.
Myth 2: You Don’t Need Help for Menopause
Menopause is not a disease. It is a natural stage in your life. However, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t seek medical help for your symptoms. Many women feel that because menopause is natural, they shouldn’t ask for menopause treatment for their symptoms or that they have to suffer through them. However, if you feel unwell, it can be difficult to enjoy life.
For this reason, you should speak to your doctor about your symptoms if they are interfering with your lifestyle. Hormone replacement treatment may help your symptoms so that you can feel good and have fun again. We can help you find individualized solutions to help you feel better. Hormone replacement treatment can help soothe your symptoms and get you feeling well again. The bottom line is, if menopause is affecting your well-being, you don’t need to suffer through it. Our medical professionals want to help you feel your best.
Myth 3: Using Hormone Replacement Treatment Means You Will Get Cancer
Additionally, many people have been misinformed about the risks of women’s hormone care. Some believe that using hormone replacement treatment means that you will get cancer. However, this isn’t necessarily true. Some scientific studies show a slightly higher risk, while others show no additional risk at all. The studies which do link hormone replacement treatment and breast cancer show that the risk may be increased on a small scale, similar to factors like drinking two glasses of wine a day or being overweight. This possibility should be weighed against the benefits of hormone replacement therapy to determine if it is right for you, just like any other medication or procedure.
To truly get a good idea about whether hormone replacement treatment can help you during menopause, you should speak to a doctor. Physicians are the best resource for information about hormone replacement therapy and can help you sort through the misinformation about women’s hormone care. At the end of the day, we want to help you feel better and provide you with the care you need. Therefore, if you are dealing with undesirable menopause symptoms, speak with your doctor to find a personalized menopause treatment plan.
A physician at HerKare can help you create a menopause treatment plan that fits your lifestyle and will help you feel better. Our professionals will listen to you to help you determine if hormone replacement treatment is a good option for you, discuss all of your concerns, and work with you to find solutions for your health and happiness.
by Melanie Remy | Dec 20, 2019 | Hormone Replacement Therapy, Menopause
Your hormone doctor can be a valuable resource during menopause. Decreasing estrogen levels during menopause causes a lot of changes to take place, including on your skin. If you notice changes in your skin, you may wonder if they are normal or if you should be concerned. There are some common skin changes that you might experience during menopause. However, it’s always a good idea to discuss any differences with your doctor to ensure that your hormone levels are healthy.
Dry or Oily Skin
Many women realize that their skin becomes drier or oilier during menopause. This is usually due to a hormonal imbalance. Hormones can affect your sebaceous glands, so as your estrogen production slows down, you may notice some differences in your skin. If you notice these changes, you may want to ask your hormone doctor if they are normal and what to do to help your dry or oily skin. You may need a new skincare regimen, or there may be other ways to combat these symptoms, like hormone replacement therapy.
Facial Hair
Another symptom of menopause that you may notice is facial hair. As estrogen levels fall, you may find hair on your lip, chin, or jawline. This can be particularly frustrating, as hair removal can be inconvenient and difficult. Your hormone doctor can help you find a solution for unwanted facial hair. For example, we may recommend HRT or some hair removal techniques to try.
Hyperpigmentation
In addition to its many other functions, estrogen helps control melanin production. Melanin is the pigment in your skin, hair, and eyes. If estrogen levels decrease, melanin production can increase. This leads to hyperpigmentation, commonly known as “age spots.”
However, many women mistake skin cancer for hyperpigmentation. Therefore, it’s important to show hyperpigmented areas to your doctor. This will help give you peace of mind about darker spots on your skin.
If you notice skin changes or are experiencing other unwanted symptoms of menopause, your hormone doctor may recommend hormone replacement therapy. Hormone replacement therapy typically involves injecting bioidentical hormones to balance out hormone levels.
If you are suffering from menopause and are having a hard time enjoying life because of your symptoms, talk to a hormone doctor. The physicians at HerKare can test your hormone levels and help personalize a treatment plan to improve your health.
by Melanie Remy | Dec 5, 2019 | Hormone Replacement Therapy, Menopause, Sleep
If you are feeling overly tired during menopause, hormone imbalance treatment may be able to help you. Menopause can cause insomnia-like symptoms and make you feel poorly. As we age, menopause can cause hormone imbalances because the body produces less estrogen. Changes in hormones can wreak havoc on our bodies and emotions, but there are treatments that can help alleviate your symptoms. One of these options is hormone replacement therapy.
Menopause and Sleep
Menopause can have negative impacts on your rest. Low estrogen levels can negatively impact your sleep quality. Estrogen is a hormone in your body that can help you use serotonin and other natural chemicals that help you sleep. Low estrogen can also make you more sensitive to your physical environment, meaning small changes can wake you up.
Some of the other symptoms of menopause can also contribute to poor sleep quality. For example, many women experience hot flashes and depression during menopause. Depression can often make it difficult to sleep at night, and hot flashes can prevent you from falling asleep, or even wake you up. However, hormone imbalance treatment can help with your symptoms.
How Hormone Imbalance Treatment Can Help
Hormone replacement therapy can help restore your estrogen levels, which can ease the symptoms of menopause. If you are suffering from inferior sleep caused by menopause, hormone imbalance treatment can help you sleep better by relieving your symptoms caused by a hormonal imbalance. Estrogen injections can help balance your hormone levels, which can also help you utilize the chemicals your body produces to help you go to sleep and stay asleep.
Menopause can create uncomfortable symptoms, one of which is poor sleep quality. Getting a good night’s rest is important for your physical, mental, and emotional health. Sleep is the time where your body repairs itself and allows your mind to recover from the day’s stresses. A lack of sleep can cause you to feel irritable, less focused, and can even lead to more serious health risks. Therefore, it is important that you make sure your body gets enough rest.
If you are suffering from poor sleep quality and feeling overly tired, HerKare may be able to help. Make an online appointment with us today so we can give you a thorough health assessment and help you create a personalized treatment plan to help you feel like yourself again.
