Women's Health
What are Bioidentical Hormones?
Based on your hormone levels, a specialized compounding pharmacy can individually tailor a bioidentical hormone regimen specifically designed for you.
On the flip side, synthetic hormones are intentionally different. Pharmaceutical companies can’t patent individualized bioidentical hormones because each regimen is specifically formulated to treat each patient on an individual basis. As an alternative, they manufacture one size fits all synthetic hormones that are patentable.
Symptoms of Hormonal Imbalance in Women
- Hot Flashes & Night Sweats
- PMSs
- Weight Gains
- Mood Swings
- Insomnias
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Endometriosis
- Low Libido
- FibrosisVaginal
- Dryness
- Foggy Memory
What is Menopause?
Menopause is the time in a woman’s life when the ovarian production of estrogens, progesterone, and testosterone decline.
Based on your hormone levels, a specialized compounding pharmacy can individually tailor a bioidentical hormone regimen specifically designed for you.
The average age of menopause is +- 51 years. Menopause is medically defined as the time in which a woman ceases to menstruate for the duration of 12 months. Although the definition properly describes the event, the process can begin up to 10 years earlier and is called perimenopause.
Long before a woman’s menstruation stops, she will already have started to notice some changes. Over time, her periods will become shorter in length and she will notice a loss of energy, a decrease in strength, and a loss of libido. Her mood is altered and she may be more agitated and anxious, depressed, apathetic, forgetful and may struggle to sleep. While these are all symptoms of menopause, it is important to consider the bigger picture during this time that being a gradual but steady decline in estrogen, progesterone and testosterone.
There is no way to stop menopause. It’s part of the natural cycle of life, which everyone woman will go through. However, the way you deal with this normal process can greatly affect your quality of life. Natural bioidentical hormone therapy for menopause can help you deal with these symptoms, freeing you to enjoy this new stage of life
Hormone Therapy for Menopause Can Relieve These Symptoms
- Hot Flashes
- Night Sweats
- PMSs
- Weight Gains
- Mood Swings
- Insomnias
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Endometriosis
- Low Libido
- FibrosisVaginal
- Dryness
- Foggy Memory
Hot flashes, night sweats, trouble sleeping and weight gain are the most common symptoms of hormonal imbalance as a woman ages. perimenopausal weight gain is oftentimes misdiagnosed and is one of the first signs of hormonal imbalance. These signs of menopause or early menopause and related conditions are also connected to your stress levels, poor nutrition, lack of exercise and the environmental toxins your body is exposed to on a daily basis.
Bio-Identical Hormones: Estrogen
Menopause and Estrogen
Historically – nearly all prescription medication were compounded. When mass drug manufacturing was introduced in the 1950’s and ‘60s, compounding rapidly declined. Medication changed to a “one-size-fits-all” approach which meant that some patients’ individual needs are not being met.
Historically – nearly all prescription medication were compounded. When mass drug manufacturing was introduced in the 1950’s and ‘60s, compounding rapidly declined. Medication changed to a “one-size-fits-all” approach which meant that some patients’ individual needs are not being met.
Low Estrogen
Menopause is characterized by widely fluctuating estrogen levels as natural production starts to decline. This often causes the common symptoms of hot flashes and changes in mood. As the ovaries fail in later menopause and estrogen levels decline further symptoms such as difficulty with sleeping, changes in loss in bone density and subsequent osteopenia/osteoporosis and memory issues, to name but a few, become evident.
Low estrogen also causes a drop in libido or diminished sex drive because vaginal walls become thinner and drier resulting in painful intercourse. Orgasms also become harder to reach and are less intense. A lack of estrogen can also cause other skin changes in women. Reduced estrogen causes a reduction in collagen (which is responsible for building skin and connective tissue) and that can lead to thinner, drier and wrinkled skin. Bio-Identical estrogen therapy is the prescribed solution for this condition.
These, and many other aspects of aging, are considered inevitable when in fact, they can be managed or relieved through hormone restoration therapy. Aging is a symptom of hormone imbalance. Hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, and memory loss are among the other symptoms of too little estrogen.
Estrogen
Let’s start at the beginning, three forms of estrogen occur naturally in a woman’s body. The ovaries produce a form named estradiol, which is converted into another important estrogen called estrone (E1). Estriol (E3) is yet another form of estrogen metabolized from estradiol (E2), weaker than the other two, but still active. Although estriol is most commonly linked to pregnancy since it is produced in the most measurable amounts at that time, it is still present throughout a woman’s lifetime at varying levels and fluctuate throughout the day.
Because estriol has been considered a by-product of another form of estrogen and thus too weak to matter, it has been largely overlooked as a beneficial piece of the hormone pie. However, studies suggest that it can help reduce a variety of symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause, including:
- Hot flashes
- Vaginal dryness
- Bone density
In addition, research points to the benefits of estriol for heart health, post-menopausal urinary tract health and protection against osteoporosis.
Estriol’s strength is actually found in its weakness. Tests show that while relieving the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause, estriol doesn’t seem to increase the risk of breast cancer. This is because estriol binds to the estrogen receptors on the breast cells, but it has much weaker activity. Therefore, it actually blocks the stronger estradiol from binding to those cells and subjecting them to the higher estrogenic activity which has been shown to be protective against breast cancer. For for women who have difficulty tolerating stronger estrogens for the treatment of hormonal imbalance due to aging, estriol is often the right choice.
Bio-Identical Hormones: Progesterone
Menopause and
Progesterone
Progesterone and estrogen balance each other out in the female body. Progesterone is necessary to negate the effects of estrogen and vice versa. This means that a lack of natural progesterone or an excess of it wreaks havoc on the body. Menopause and stress causes this imbalance leading to the unpleasant symptoms and reduced quality of life.
Progesterone and estrogen balance each other out in the female body. Progesterone is necessary to negate the effects of estrogen and vice versa. This means that a lack of natural progesterone or an excess of it wreaks havoc on the body. Menopause and stress causes this imbalance leading to the unpleasant symptoms and reduced quality of life.
Low Progesterone
In menopause, several hormones are thrown off balance. Often in perimenopause, there is too little natural progesterone in a woman’s body; it can result in symptoms such as anxiety, breast tenderness, headaches, sleeplessness, weight gain (caused by improper levels of progesterone which prevent your thyroid from functioning properly) and more.
One cause of progesterone imbalance is estrogen dominance by outside factors such as environmental hormones (i.e., xenoestrogen) found in the foods you eat. Other causes of diminished progesterone include insulin resistance, chronic stress, poor nutrition, and insufficient exercise.
Chronic stress is also a big contributor to influencing progesterone levels. When your body is stressed, it works to produce higher levels of the hormone cortisol which manages stress in your body. Because progesterone is the precursor to cortisol, when cortisol levels increase, progesterone levels decrease. So, too much stress in a woman’s life can lead to a progesterone deficiency, causing the estrogen dominance symptoms mentioned above.
Bio-Identical Hormones: Testosterone
Testosterone is a steroid hormone found in the androgen group. It is derived from cholesterol (like all the sex hormones) and its immediate precursor is DHEA. Although it thought of as “the male hormone”, testosterone also plays important role in women. Testosterone for women is produced in the ovaries and the adrenal glands. The ovaries function to help produce testosterone even after menopause. Therefore, women who have their ovaries removed are at significant risk for decreased testosterone levels and the subsequent symptoms associated with it.
Testosterone is a steroid hormone found in the androgen group. It is derived from cholesterol (like all the sex hormones) and its immediate precursor is DHEA. Although it thought of as “the male hormone”, testosterone also plays important role in women. Testosterone for women is produced in the ovaries and the adrenal glands. The ovaries function to help produce testosterone even after menopause. Therefore, women who have their ovaries removed are at significant risk for decreased testosterone levels and the subsequent symptoms associated with it.
What Purpose does
Testosterone serve in Women?
Testosterone in women has many functions. It is important for bone strength and development of lean muscle mass and strength. Testosterone also contributes to overall sense of well-being and energy levels. It is best known for its crucial role is a woman’s sex drive or libido. More specifically, testosterone in women is responsible for the sensitivity of a woman’s nipples and clitoris associated with sexual pleasure. Testosterone not only enhances the sexual mood of a woman, but the experience as well.
Menopause and Testosterone
Similar to other hormones, the onset of perimenopause and menopause cause the decline in production of testosterone (by at least 50%) in women. Again, hysterectomy with or without removal of the ovaries will cause a more significant decline in testosterone levels. Also, high levels of stress can divert the precursors for testosterone hormone production in women over to cortisol production and create a further reduction. High stress levels can also contribute to symptoms earlier in the perimenopause when a woman is in her late thirties or early forties. This means less energy, brittle hair, decline in bone and muscle strength and a diminished sexual drive. A hysterectomy and some prescription drugs can also result in lower levels of testosterone in women.
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in Women
DHEA is oftentimes referred to as the “mother of all hormones” because it fuels the hormone pathway – a term that refers to the body’s delicate interplay of hormones. Women rely on adequate levels of DHEA to balance other key hormones throughout the body, such as estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. DHEA in women is produced by the adrenal glands. As women age, DHEA levels – like most hormones – begin to decline. However age isn’t the only culprit.
Have you ever heard of “the stress hormone,” known as cortisol? Like DHEA, cortisol is also produced by the adrenals, as is adrenaline – two hormones that assist in the body’s “fight or flight” response to stress. Although we rely on hormones like cortisol and adrenaline to help prepare the body for stressful situations, chronic stress can cause the adrenal glands to work overtime, and while the adrenals are preoccupied, producing large quantities of cortisol and adrenaline, they can’t produce enough DHEA.
Low levels of DHEA in women can cause symptoms including
- Fatigue
- Weight gain
- Depression
- Aching joints
- Low libido
On the other hand, adequate DHEA levels can help women:
- Boost libido
- Rebuild muscle mass
- Depression
- Lose weight
- Improve memory
- Boost the immune system
- Promote flexibility
- Raise energy levels
If you suspect that the symptoms you’re experiencing may translate into a DHEA imbalance, hormone testing is available to determine where you stand, hormonally. With the “mother load” of benefits associated with DHEA, it is definitely worth seeing your doctor to check your levels. As with any supplement, you should consult your doctor before taking DHEA. For women, a close eye should be kept on estrogen levels to ensure they do not go too high, an important key to help lower the risk of certain diseases, including breast, ovarian and other hormone-sensitive cancers