What are Bioidentical Hormones?

by Melanie Remy | Aug 20, 2020 | Hormone Replacement Therapy, Menopause

With so much marketing out there, it can be difficult to understand the different hormone options out there. Bioidentical hormones are identical to the hormones your body naturally produces. They come from natural sources like plants. Bioidenticals can help reduce symptoms of menopause and hormone imbalances by helping bring your hormone levels into healthy ranges. There are also many different bioidentical options to choose from for treating your symptoms. For example, our provider may prescribe bioidentical estrogen, progesterone, or testosterone to help you feel better. In any case, if you’re interested in bioidentical hormone therapy, it’s important to learn more about bioidenticals.

Bioidentical hormones can help reduce symptoms of menopause and hormone imbalances.

What’s the Difference Between “Natural” Hormones and Bioidentical Hormones?

You’ve likely heard of so-called “natural” hormones for relieving symptoms of hormone imbalance. However, it’s important to distinguish between these products and bioidentical hormones. Bioidentical hormones are natural, as they come from plant sources. However, bioidenticals take this a step further by being molecularly identical to human hormones. They’re altered to match the hormones that the human body produces.

By contrast, “natural” marketing campaigns can apply to almost any hormone, as most come from natural sources. For example, yam-based creams are natural. In addition, a commonly prescribed form of estrogen is actually made from horse urine. However, this is also considered natural. The difference is that these options aren’t bioidentical to the hormones your body produces.

Unfortunately, many of the hormones marketed as natural hormone imbalance treatment may not be effective. In some cases, your body can’t convert or use the hormones in these natural (but not bioidentical) options. This means that they likely won’t be effective at soothing or reducing your symptoms. Also, perhaps more concerning, is that some can cause side effects that may be even worse than the symptoms they claim to relieve.

Instead, bioidentical hormones are the same molecular shape, make up, and structure as hormones made in the human body. Essentially, your cells recognize these hormones because they look and act exactly like the hormones your body produces. Synthetic and natural versions that aren’t bioidentical may only resemble what your cells are familiar with. This may make them less effective than bioidentical options.

Why Bioidentical Hormones for Menopause?

So, why choose bioidenticals for hormone imbalance treatment during menopause? As we age, we begin to produce less and less estrogen and progesterone. These declining hormone levels cause your periods to stop. This can also lead to a whole host of life-altering symptoms, like hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness. Hormone therapy is one of the most effective ways to reduce symptoms, like hot flashes and night sweats, that may affect your quality of life by making it difficult to sleep and concentrate or lead to mood changes or uncomfortable intercourse.

Bioidentical hormones can help bring your estrogen and progesterone levels into healthy ranges, which may reduce or relieve symptoms of menopause. Since bioidenticals are generally well-tolerated and may help with symptoms, they are a common treatment for menopause.

If you have menopause symptoms but still have your uterus, then you will likely use combination hormone imbalance treatment. This means both estrogen and progesterone. This is because estrogen alone can cause the lining of your uterus to thicken, which may increase your risk for endometrial cancer. Progesterone can help control this and keep the uterine lining thin. However, if you don’t have a uterus, then you may only need estrogen hormone therapy for your symptoms.

While there are pros and cons to taking bioidentical hormones or hormone therapy of any kind, most doctors agree that the benefits outweigh the risks for women taking hormones who are under 60 years old and within ten years of menopause. However, taking bioidentical hormones is an individual choice, so our provider will discuss options and recommendations based on your specific circumstances and health status.

Is Bioidentical Hormone Imbalance Treatment FDA-Approved?

A common misconception is that bioidentical hormones aren’t FDA-approved. It may surprise you to learn that many of the hormones doctors prescribe today are bioidentical. Bioidentical hormones are hormones derived from plants and altered in a lab to be identical to human hormones. They come in both pharmacological forms and compounded forms. While one form is FDA-approved, the other is not. This comes down to how they’re formulated into a treatment, as well as consistency and control standards during mixing.

Pharmacological Bioidentical Hormones

Pharmacological bioidentical hormones have a mass quantity manufacturing process with quality and safety regulations. This means that pharmacological bioidenticals offer quality and consistency for each dose. Because of the strict quality and safety standards involved with the process, the FDA has approved several bioidentical hormones. These include forms of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. With pharmacological bioidentical hormones, you know exactly which hormones you’re taking and how much. This may not be so with compounded hormone mixtures.

Compounding

What many think of when they hear the term “bioidentical hormones” is hormone compounding. These are hormone treatments that a compounding pharmacy mixes, often with various amounts of different types of hormones. While compounded mixtures use bioidentical hormones that are FDA-approved on their own, the final product is not. This is because the FDA cannot regulate the quality and safety of each individual mixture and the amount of each hormone can change with each batch.

At HerKare, our team listens and understands your health concerns. If you’re experiencing symptoms of menopause or hormone imbalance, we are here to help find underlying causes and help you feel better with personalized treatment plans. We also work with you to monitor your progress on your treatment plan and make adjustments to help you feel better. Our team is with you every step of the way to help find solutions to your health concerns and questions. Our goal is to help you improve your wellness and quality of life. Reach out today to schedule an appointment and discuss your health concerns with one of our compassionate women’s health care providers.

Benefits of Hormone Imbalance Treatment During Menopause

by herkare_admin | Jul 20, 2020 | Hormone Replacement Therapy, Menopause

By Raymond Westbrook, D.O.

National Medical Director at HerKare

Hormone imbalance treatment during menopause can help relieve your symptoms and help you feel better.

Hormone imbalance treatment helps many women feel better during menopause. Menopause is a normal part of aging but can come with uncomfortable symptoms. Because of this, many women notice their quality of life decreases and their mental, emotional, physical, and sexual health may suffer. If you’re experiencing moderate to severe menopause symptoms that disrupt your life, hormone replacement may offer several benefits for your wellbeing.

What is Hormone Imbalance Treatment?

Broadly speaking, hormone imbalance treatment involves using plant-based hormones to optimize your hormones to beneficial levels. During perimenopause, your estrogen and progesterone levels steadily begin to decline. This is what leads to the cessation of your menstrual cycles. Menopause occurs once you’ve reached twelve months without a period. The average age that women experience menopause is 51 years old.

HerKare uses a comprehensive approach to optimize hormone levels to improve symptoms while causing minimal to no side effects.  Our approach is based on research that increases safety, effectiveness, and looks at the overall health of your individual needs before and throughout treatment.

Relieving Menopause Symptoms

Hormones perform many important functions in your body. They are messengers that help control your cells and organs and tell them what to do. When your hormone levels are low or out of balance, this can cause many different symptoms that we often associate with menopause. For example, hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and low libido. These symptoms can also cause difficulty sleeping, brain fog, mood changes, and many other symptoms that can interrupt your life and decrease your quality of life.

Hormone imbalance treatment can help reduce or eliminate these symptoms for women who experience them. Many women notice improvements in their overall sense of wellbeing, including their emotional and sexual health, after beginning a HerKare comprehensive treatment program. In addition, hormone replacement therapy may offer other health benefits.

Other Benefits of Hormone Imbalance Treatment

In addition to helping many women reduce symptoms of menopause, women’s hormone care may also offer other health benefits. After menopause, your risk for many health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, increases. Many believe this is due to declining estrogen levels. However, several studies show that hormone imbalance treatment may help reduce your risk for these conditions.

Cardiovascular Benefits

Research shows that hormone replacement therapy can help reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease in some circumstances.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. However, hormone imbalance treatment can help lower the risk of future cardiovascular disease. Studies show that women under 60 years old with menopause symptoms who start treatment within ten years of menopause experience a lower risk for heart disease.

Women who experience vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats may be more likely to experience cardiovascular events like heart attacks, angina, and strokes. Recent research indicates that women who experience such symptoms after menopause are an estimated 70% more likely to have a cardiovascular event. There may be a link between hormone imbalance treatment, as estrogen can help reduce the number and severity of vasomotor symptoms.

Hormone Imbalance Treatment with Estrogen May Reduce Diabetes Risk

Additionally, hormone imbalance treatment may help reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes after menopause. Menopause is associated with an increase in waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio. These factors can indicate an increase in abdominal fat. Also known as visceral fat, abdominal fat increases your risk for several serious health conditions, including diabetes. However, hormone replacement with estrogen can help your body redistribute fat away from the abdomen.

Also, studies show that many women also decrease the amount of physical activity they get within about two years before menopause. This could be due to declining energy levels and menopause symptoms that make it difficult to maintain an exercise regimen. Menopause symptom relief may help you feel better during menopause so that you can take part in healthy activities like working out, which can help reduce abdominal fat and your risk for diabetes.

Some research also suggests that estrogen may help improve several other factors that increase your risk for diabetes. For example, insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity may decrease after menopause. However, hormone imbalance treatment may help improve glycemic control and may improve insulin sensitivity.

“I’ve Heard Hormones are Dangerous”

This is a common phrase we hear when discussing options for relieving menopause symptoms. However, studies offer additional insights into the long-term effects of taking hormone replacement therapy. Researchers followed post-menopausal women for eighteen years to determine if they experienced higher rates of death if they used hormone therapy compared to a placebo. The women in the study took either hormone imbalance treatment or a placebo for five to seven years and then the researchers looked at the number of deaths from any cause to get a broad view of whether life-threatening outcomes are common. Instead, the study showed little difference between the hormone therapy group and the placebo group.

Overall mortality rates for the hormone imbalance treatment group were 27.1%, compared to 27.6% in the placebo group. The study also looked specifically at deaths from cancer and cardiovascular disease and found that the differences between the two groups were also small. They found a 0.1% difference between the groups for cardiovascular disease and a 0.2% difference for cancer. This research seems to indicate that, when used correctly, hormone replacement generally doesn’t create life-threatening outcomes.

Who is a Good Candidate for Hormone Imbalance Treatment?

While hormone imbalance treatment offers many benefits, not everyone should start taking hormones. It’s important to talk to a medical provider about your symptoms and overall health. This can help you and your doctor weigh the risks and benefits and how they apply to your unique circumstances. You may be a good candidate for hormone replacement if:

• You have moderate to severe menopause symptoms
• Your symptoms affect your quality of life or interfere with your normal activities
• You’re in good health overall

If you have a history of certain health issues listed below, you will want to discuss with your medical provider if hormone therapy is right for you:

• Strokes
• Blood clots
• Liver disease
• Breast cancer
• Heart disease
• Coronary artery disease

There are also lifestyle changes you can take to help reduce risks during hormone imbalance treatment. These changes can also help improve your overall health and quality of life. For example, exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, and not smoking. These can help improve your wellbeing and also may reduce risks during menopausal hormone therapy.

At HerKare, our goal is to provide you with compassionate and personalized health care to help you feel your best. We understand how life-altering menopause can be. Our medical team takes the time to listen to your symptoms while considering a broad view of your health to determine the underlying causes of those symptoms. Then they will discuss a comprehensive menopause treatment plan with you which may involve lifestyle changes as well as hormone therapy. Schedule an appointment today to discuss your health status and symptoms with one of our providers. At HerKare, we’re here to help you take control of your health.

How Hormone Replacement Treatment Affects Your Hair

by Melanie Remy | Jul 2, 2020 | Hormone Replacement Therapy, Menopause

Most of us have heard about hot flashes and mood changes during menopause, but what about hair thinning? Many women experience hair loss during menopause, but hormone replacement treatment may be able to help. Thinning hair during menopause can seriously affect your sense of well-being and your self-esteem. However, you’re not alone with menopausal hair loss. An estimated 21 million women in the U. S. will experience hair loss at some point in their lives, many of them during and after menopause. Our providers can help you determine underlying causes of hair thinning during menopause and help you find personalized treatment plans to help you feel better.

Hormone replacement treatment can help improve your quality of life during menopause.

What Causes Hair Loss During Menopause? Why Could Hormone Replacement Treatment Help?

During menopause, you’re likely experiencing a lot of changes, from irregular periods to night sweats and mood changes. Thinning hair can also occur in post-menopause. Many women notice that hormone replacement treatment can help reduce hot flashes and may even help their hair. However, what is it about menopause that makes your hair more vulnerable? In many cases, it’s hormones.

Estrogen and Progesterone

Estrogen and progesterone are hormones in your body that perform a lot of functions. For example, they’re responsible for menstruation and can help keep your bones strong. These hormones also help with hair growth. Estrogen and progesterone can help keep your hair in the growing (anagen) phase. Therefore, these hormones can help your hair stay on your head longer and may even help your hair grow faster. This may be why many women notice their hair thinning starts to improve with estrogen replacement therapy.

During menopause, your estrogen and progesterone levels naturally start to decline. This is what causes your periods to become irregular and eventually stop. Low progesterone and estrogen are also often to blame for thinning hair during menopause. Hair loss from menopausal hormone deficiencies can take many forms. Most women notice thinning throughout their scalps, which may be visible when you part your hair or you might notice a thinner pony tail. You may also notice thinning along your hair line, but this is less common for women. Low levels of estrogen and progesterone means your hair may start to fall out sooner and grow more slowly. The goal of hormone replacement treatment during menopause is to help your body attain healthy, balanced hormone levels, which is why many women may notice changes in hair thinning once they start treatment.

Testosterone

Declining estrogen and progesterone levels during menopause can also lead to having higher than usual testosterone levels, as your hormones may become imbalanced. Generally, your body has more estrogen and progesterone than testosterone. Just like other hormones, your testosterone levels decline with age as well. However, in some cases, your estrogen and progesterone levels may decline so quickly that your testosterone may become more dominant in your body. Even if your testosterone levels are the same or within healthy ranges, without estrogen and progesterone to keep testosterone in check, you may experience changes related to this imbalance, including thinning, fragile hair.

Testosterone can also affect your hair, as certain forms of testosterone your body produces can shrink hair follicles. The most common culprit is dihydrotestosterone, also known as DHT. When testosterone becomes out of balance with estrogen and progesterone, your body may have higher concentrations of DHT, which may affect your hair. Shrinking hair follicles can make your hair finer, or smaller in diameter, which can make it more brittle. This can make your hair weaker overall, as the individual hair strands that you grow are more delicate. You may notice your hair breaks easier than it used to, or that your pony tail is thinner. In these cases, hormone imbalance treatment for your other symptoms may also help your hair become stronger.

Stress

However, hormones aren’t all to blame for thinning hair during menopause. Other common symptoms of menopause can also lead to hair loss. For example, stress is a common cause for hair loss and thinning for women at any age. Stress can cause your hair follicles to get “stuck” in the dormant phase of hair growth. If this happens, you may notice thinning throughout your scalp.

Many women experience high levels of stress during menopause. For example, hormone imbalances can lead to anxiety and depression symptoms. Another reason many women feel more stress during menopause can be due to other symptoms like hot flashes or difficulty sleeping. Not only can this affect your overall health, it can also lead to thinning hair.

How Can Thinning Hair Affect Me?

While thinning hair itself doesn’t usually affect your physical health directly, there are many ways hair loss can negatively impact your well-being. One study showed that 55% of women who were experiencing some form of hair loss also experienced symptoms of depression. In this same study, about 89% of those women noticed improvements in their depressive symptoms after receiving treatment for hair loss. Many women notice they have lower self-esteem, confidence, and negative body image after experiencing hair loss.

The problem with hair loss during menopause is that it doesn’t just signal hormone imbalances or extra stress, it can also cause negative consequences for your mental, emotional, and social health. Many women notice that they’re less likely to engage in social activities if they experience menopausal hair loss. They may also feel anxiety and stress about their hair. Over time, this can also affect your overall well-being and quality of life. Therefore, if you’re experiencing thinning hair, it’s important to talk to your doctor. If you’re experiencing other symptoms as well, our provider may recommend hormone replacement treatment.

What Role Does Hormone Replacement Treatment Play in Hair Thinning During Menopause?

Hormone replacement treatment during menopause may help with thinning hair if it’s related to hormone changes. Our provider may prescribe estrogen replacement therapy to help bring your hormones back into balance and back up to healthy baseline levels if you have low estrogen during menopause. This may help your hair in a few ways.

First, as we learned, estrogen plays a significant role during hair growth. Increasing estrogen levels during hormone replacement treatment may help your hair stay in the growing phase for longer than it would without hormone injections. It can also help your body keep testosterone levels in balance to help reduce the shrinking effects testosterone can have on hair follicles. In addition, some studies show that if you start hormone imbalance treatment early on for menopause symptoms, it may help you maintain your current hair density. This can help you reduce how much hair you lose throughout the course of menopause.

Also, hormone replacement treatment can help with symptoms that may cause stress, which can also contribute to hair loss. Hot flashes, night sweats, sleep difficulties, and mood changes can all play a significant part in high stress levels during menopause. However, estrogen shots can help reduce these symptoms and can also help you manage them more easily. This often results in lower stress levels, which can also help with hair loss when it is stress-related. Therefore, if you notice symptoms of menopause that are affecting your quality of life, it’s important to reach out and discuss your options.

Let’s Talk About Hormone Replacement Treatment for Menopause

At HerKare, our focus is to help women feel their best with personalized health care solutions. We understand the many ways menopause can impact your life, so we work with you to find treatments that are tailored to you. Our providers take the time to listen, then we’ll work together to find ways to help you improve your physical, emotional, and sexual health. We’re here to help you enjoy life, not just push through unwanted menopause symptoms. Schedule an appointment online today!

When Sex Hurts: Low Estrogen Could Make Intimacy Painful

by Melanie Remy | Jun 5, 2020 | Hormone Replacement Therapy, Menopause

Low estrogen during menopause can cause many undesirable symptoms. For example, many women notice that sex becomes painful after menopause due to low estrogen levels. Between 17-45% of postmenopausal women say that sex is painful for them. If you’ve noticed this change in your own life, you are not alone and there are treatments available to help you feel better and enjoy intimacy again.

Low estrogen during menopause can affect your life in many ways, but treatments can help you feel your best.

How Low Estrogen Can Make Sex Painful

Low estrogen during menopause can cause many physical symptoms that can affect your sex life. For example, decreased estrogen levels can cause your vaginal tissues to become dry and thin. This may make you feel a sense of dryness, “tightness” or even unbearable pain during sex. You may also notice soreness or a burning sensation in your vagina or vulva after sex. Vaginal dryness due to low estrogen can even lead to tearing, bleeding, or inflammation.

However, painful sex during menopause isn’t all physical. Once you notice that sex can hurt, you may notice other symptoms that make it even worse. For example, fear of pain during sex can make it difficult to become aroused and create anxiety around intimacy. This can lead to even more vaginal dryness. Also, the anticipation of uncomfortable sex can sometimes make you involuntarily tighten your vaginal muscles. This is called vaginismus and can make sex hurt even more. Therefore, painful sex during menopause can become a cycle that is hard to break. However, our doctors are here to help you treat these symptoms so you can get back to feeling like yourself again.  One option is hormone replacement therapy.

Hormone Replacement Therapy May Be Able to Help

If sex is painful due to low estrogen levels, hormone replacement therapy may help with your symptoms. Estrogen injections may help with vaginal dryness and help prevent thinning vaginal walls. Painful sex can affect your health in many ways. For example, you may feel generally anxious or depressed, experience low self-esteem, and you may even notice it affects your relationships. However, seeking help can help you avoid these negative consequences and help you take pleasure in your sex life again.

Hormone imbalance treatment during and after menopause can help improve your vaginal health and combat vaginal dryness, irritation, and painful sex. Hormone replacement during menopause may even increase your libido and fight off other symptoms that affect your quality of life like mood changes and anxiety. These benefits can all lead to more enjoyable sexual experiences. Therefore, if you’ve noticed that intimacy is painful, talk to your doctor about treatment plans that may be able to help.

At HerKare, we provide personalized health care for women. We understand that your sex life, physical health, and mood are all important to your wellbeing. Our providers listen to you, help you identify underlying causes of your symptoms, and then collaborate with you to find a treatment plan that fits your lifestyle. Schedule your appointment online today to take the first step toward feeling better. We are here for you.

Ask Your Hormone Doctor About Your Progesterone Levels

by Melanie Remy | May 20, 2020 | Hormone Replacement Therapy, Menopause

While a lot of discussions about menopause focus on estrogen levels, you should also talk to your hormone doctor about your progesterone levels. Estrogen and progesterone work together to perform some vital functions in your body and help keep you healthy. While progesterone is typically associated with pregnancy, your hormone doctor should also monitor your progesterone levels as you age and during menopause.

Progesterone and estrogen work as a team to help you feel good. Talk to your hormone doctor about your progesterone levels and how they could be affecting your wellbeing.

What is Progesterone?

Progesterone is a hormone that your body produces in the ovaries and the adrenal glands. It helps regulate your menstrual cycle, your libido, and the lining of your uterus. During perimenopause, low progesterone levels can cause irregular or heavy periods and PMS symptoms. Therefore, if you notice these symptoms during perimenopause, your hormone doctor may recommend hormone replacement to help reduce your symptoms.

Some symptoms of low progesterone include:

• Sore breasts
• Spotting between periods
• Vaginal dryness
• Mood changes
• Low libido
• Low blood sugar
• Headaches/migraines

Progesterone also plays a crucial role in menopausal hormone replacement therapy. For women who haven’t had a hysterectomy and still have a uterus, your hormone doctor will likely recommend both estrogen and progesterone replacement therapy to help protect your uterine lining. The lining of your uterus, the endometrium, can become too thick if your progesterone levels are low. This can lead to an increased risk for uterine cancer. Therefore, progesterone plays an important role in menopause treatment for many women.

Talking to Your Hormone Doctor About Low Progesterone

In addition to protecting your uterus, progesterone hormone replacement can help reduce many of the symptoms of menopause. Your hormone doctor may recommend estrogen and progesterone therapy for common symptoms that women experience during perimenopause and menopause. For example, they often help with hot flashes, “brain fog,” vaginal dryness, and mood swings.

Your hormone doctor may prescribe bioidentical progesterone and estrogen to help reduce your symptoms. Bioidentical hormones are natural hormones created from plant products. For many women, bioidentical hormone injections are more convenient and effective than pills, creams, and suppositories. Additionally, they offer your hormone doctor the ability to adjust your dosage in a way that hormone replacement pellets don’t allow. Therefore, if you’re feeling worn down by menopause symptoms, consider bioidentical hormone therapy to help you feel better again.

At HerKare, we take a holistic approach to your health and wellness. This means that we don’t just diagnose you and develop a treatment plan, we take your lifestyle and who you are as a person into account. Our team is here to help you improve your quality of life, and we believe the best way to do that is to tailor your treatment plan to you. At HerKare, we collaborate with you to help you improve your wellness. Schedule an appointment online today so we can help you feel great again. We are here for you.