Cincinnati Ohio Menopause and Bioidentical Hormones

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy for Women in Cincinnati

Women all understand the relationship between the female reproductive system and hormonal changes. Your reproductive system requires a healthy balance of estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and other essential hormones to function properly. These hormones support ovulation, pregnancy, the menstrual cycle, and eventually their decline marks the onset of menopause. When hormones are out of balance, women can experience a variety of symptoms that have the potential to make life miserable. Fortunately, Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) from Cincinnati Menopause and Perimenopause Doctors can help.

How BHRT Can Help Symptoms of Perimenopause and Menopause

Current medical research suggests that there are between 35 and 60 possible symptoms associated with perimenopause, menopause, or both. However, some are much more common than others are. The list below indicates typical problems caused by hormone changes during this phase of life. It also describes how Cincinnati Menopause and Perimenopause Doctors can help resolve them with Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy.

Irregular menstrual periods

Perimenopause, which occurs anywhere from a few years to up to 15 years before you stop menstruating, can wreak havoc with your regular menstrual cycle. You may go only 21 days between periods one month and skip your cycle all together the next month. You may also experience extremely heavy bleeding for weeks at a time. None of this is pleasant, which is why balancing the hormones is so essential to getting through perimenopause comfortably. Hormone balance can also intensify regular premenstrual symptoms, such as bloating, headaches, irritability, cramps, and breast tenderness.

Low libido and sexual dysfunction

A decline in estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone can leave you feeling rarely in the mood for sex. This is understandable, especially when an imbalance of these hormones can make it physically uncomfortable. Restoring hormone imbalance with BHRT helps to make physical intimacy pleasurable once again.

Fatigue

Your adrenal glands produce cortisol, a hormone that helps you respond to and manage stress. When you’re in poor health or under considerable stress, they can’t keep up with the production your body requires. This results in a condition called adrenal fatigue. Replenishing cortisol to healthy levels helps to relieve chronic fatigue so you have the energy you need to meet responsibilities and enjoy life.

Weight gain

Hypothyroidism, a common condition caused by insufficient amounts of the thyroid hormone, causes many women to gain weight during the perimenopause and menopause years. A lack of estrogen balance plays a role as well. BHRT helps to increase your metabolism so your body is more efficient at converting food into energy without storing excess fat.

Hot flashes

Hot flashes are a very common symptom for women as they enter menopause. They can be experienced during the day and or at night. The estrogen levels produced by the ovaries decrease during this time and the surging waves of heat in the daytime cause flushed red skin. Hot flashes during the night can result in sudden rushes of heat waves causing intense sweating.

Night sweats

Night sweats are usually more intense than hot flashes and women can experience symptoms ranging from severe to mild, for varying duration. Depending on the intensity of night sweats, they can be accompanied by chills, nausea, headaches or an irregular heartbeat.

Irritability and mood swings

Mood swings are often a result of intense hormone imbalances that greatly affect the level of serotonin in the brain. Estrogen has a direct influence on the amount of serotonin produced. Mood swings and depression can be due to the drops in estrogen levels that are responsible for production of serotonin. This can cause a state of sadness, foggy thinking, fluctuation of appetite, loss of sleep and feelings that produce thoughts of suicide.

Loss of libido

The drop in Estrogen, Progesterone and Testosterone levels are the hormones responsible for lower energy and decreased sex drive. Arousal and orgasm are still possible, yet the hormonal imbalance that occurs during this shift into menopause can cause the vaginal wall to become dry and irritated further exacerbating the lack of desire to be sexual. All of which can have a psychological impact as well.

Vaginal dryness

During menopause the levels of estrogen decrease which causes thinning of the vaginal walls. This results in less lubrication and elasticity, which can increase irritation, itching and pain resulting in a decreased desire to engage in intercourse.

Irregular heartbeat

Estrogen levels fluctuate and correlate with the cholesterol levels in the blood, as well as the fluctuation of blood pressure affecting the vasodilatation of the arteries and affecting the autonomous nervous system that regulates the heartbeat. This can result in fatigue, anxiety, and more.

Urinary urgency / incontinence

This is the inability to keep urine in the bladder during sneezing, laughing or coughing. Estrogen is the hormone that helps with the strength of the bladder muscles. As estrogen decreases during menopause so does bladder control. Incontinence includes feelings of constant need to urinate due to an overactive or oversensitive bladder. Another form of incontinence is a bladder that doesn’t empty completely, causing dribbling.

Insomnia

Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep for a long enough time to feel rested and rejuvenated. Night sweats or other accompanied symptoms of menopause such as bizarre dreams or incontinence can contribute to insomnia.

Disorientation

Often this symptom is directly related to feeling dizzy and light heated. Some experience vertigo which is a constant spinning sensation, or light headed feeling when one stands up too fast.

Anxiety

Anxiety can refer to a state of being worried, fearful, on edge and uneasy or a sense of urgency often out of proportion to the event that initiates the response. Estrogen levels affect the brain chemistry directly related to mood and emotions.

Understanding Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy

You have probably visited your primary physician in the Cincinnati metro area for issues related to hormone imbalance at least once. Your doctor likely prescribed a synthetic hormone replacement or birth control pill to help alleviate symptoms and restore balance. Unfortunately, the relief you experienced was probably short-lived or the side effects were significant enough to make you stop taking the prescription medication altogether. This is a common occurrence because most allopathic physicians don’t have the training or time to investigate the root cause of your condition; they simply treat the symptoms and send you on your way.

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy doctors in Hamilton County Ohio take a completely different approach, which is evident on your first appointment. First, they listen to you describe how symptoms of hormone imbalance due to perimenopause or menopause are affecting your life. You should gather your complete medical history in preparation for the appointment, including a list of medications you currently take. An important part of your physical is submitting a blood or saliva sample to determine your body’s exact hormone levels. This enables your Cincinnati area Bioidentical Hormones Doctor to prepare a Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy compound for your body’s unique needs, targeting the root cause of your individual symptoms.

Hormones Commonly Replaced With BHRT

Cortisol

As described above, your body manufactures cortisol in response to stress. When your levels are too low, it can cause allergies, low blood pressure, digestive disorders, hypothyroidism, low blood sugar, libido problems, chronic fatigue, and slow healing of wounds.

DHEA

This hormone regulates your body’s production of estrogen, which is the predominant sex hormone in women. When DHEA declines, you may experience joint pain, irritability, muscle loss, fatigue, and a weakened immune system.

Estrogen

Produced in the ovaries, estrogen is essential to your sexual and reproductive functions as well as the health of your bones, skin, hair, and nails. Unbalanced estrogen levels can cause everything from acne to infertility.

Melatonin

Your body requires balanced levels of melatonin for healthy sleep and normal moods. When it’s deficient, you may struggle with insomnia, sleep apnea, depression, and cluster headaches.

Progesterone

This is the generic name for a group of hormones in the female body, including pregnenolone. It is the primary hormone secreted by your reproductive system. Progesterone helps to regulate the menstrual cycle and sustain a healthy pregnancy.

Testosterone

Many women think of testosterone only as a male hormone. In actuality, testosterone is a vital hormone for women as well. Testosterone helps to regulate your sex drive, as well as build muscle and producing new blood cells.

Learn more about the amazing relief thousands of women have already found with a Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy designed to treat the symptoms of menopause and perimenopause. Contact a Cincinnati Ohio area Menopause and Perimenopause specialist today for a Bioidentical Hormones consultation and take the first steps to making your golden years the best years!

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