Managing Menopause With BHRT: Soothe Your Menopause Symptoms Safely And Effectively With Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy

You Have Options For Managing The Symptoms Of Menopause.

Menopause, or the end of menstruation, is a natural occurrence for women. The transition towards menopause can begin to affect you anytime between the ages of 35 and 55 years of age and the symptoms of menopause can start to present themselves as early as 10 years before menopause actually occurs. Therefore, finding a way of managing menopause is important for your optimal health and wellness.

The symptoms of menopause go beyond night sweats, hot flashes and mood swings. Reaching menopause is a gradual process, not an isolated event. The symptoms of menopause can affect you differently at different stages of the process and may be very different from the symptoms experienced by a friend or peer. Less commonly considered symptoms of menopause that you might be experiencing include:

• Vaginal dryness
• Anxiety, depression and/or panic attacks
• Loss of sexual interest
• Hair growth on the face
• Weird dreams
• UTIs
• Vaginal itching
• Lower back pain
• Bone loss and joint pain
• Indigestion
• Weight gain
• Migraines and more

Because menopause is not discussed more broadly - in society and by our own healthcare providers - you may live for years in discomfort and distress with these less acknowledged symptoms not knowing that they are connected to menopause. What's more worrying is that, even if your healthcare provider does acknowledge these symptoms to be a part of menopause, you may not be offered much in the way of relief. Too often women have come to my practice having been told they will just have to "live with it". Fortunately, this is simply not the case. There are safe and effective ways for you to manage the symptoms of menopause.

Hormones And Menopause

The symptoms of menopause are triggered by changing hormone levels - specifically a decline in the natural production of estrogen and progesterone. That being said, it's about more than "just" a decline in estrogens. (Yes, estrogens - plural! You have more than one kind and each affects the body differently.) Hormones including your thyroid hormones, cortisol, DHEA, testosterone and insulin (among others) also play a role in how you may experience the symptoms of menopause. When one hormone level changes it affects the others and can throw your system out of balance.

"The menopausal response is as unique to an individual as his or her own fingerprints." - Dr. Pamela Smith, MD, MPH in "A Comprehensive Look at Hormones and the Effects of Hormones Replacement"

As you age, the decline of certain hormone levels is considered normal. However, that doesn't mean you can't help to bring your levels back into balance and restore yourself to a more optimal state of health and wellness.

Managing Menopause With Hormone Replacement Therapy

Menopause, as we have seen, is brought on by changing hormone levels. Likewise, many of the uncomfortable symptoms you may be experiencing can be linked to your hormones being out of balance. Therefore, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is an obvious treatment option to help restore balance, soothe your menopause symptoms and help you manage your menopause more comfortably. However, it is important to note that not all hormone therapies are created equal.

Synthetic Hormones and The Risk of Cancer

In the 1990s, HRT became very popular for treating the symptoms of menopause and was touted as a way to reduce the risk of postmenopausal health issues. However, in 2002, a report known as the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) was published which showed that the synthetic hormones used in the most commonly prescribed hormone therapies of the day could be linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, heart disease, and stroke among menopausal and postmenopausal women. While there have since been reviews of the trials and studies included in this report, HRT fell out of favour as an option for managing menopause symptoms.

Bioidentical Hormones: A Safer Alternative

Not all hormone therapies are created equal. There is a significant difference between the synthetic hormone medications of the 1990s and the individually tailored hormone blends created with bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). Dr. Neal Rouzier, MD, a pioneer in the bioidentical hormone replacement field, "has dedicated his life's work to uncovering the medical literature that supports safe and effective protocols for unique and personalized patient care." Rouzier asserts that while synthetic hormones have been proven to increase the risks of certain cancers (notably breast cancer), heart disease and stroke, bioidentical hormones have not and remain a safe alternative therapy. Dr. Rouzier cautions his peers in the medical community not to "extrapolate the harm of synthetic hormones to bioidentical HRT." My years of experience as an NP-PHC specializing in women's health and hormones echo this finding. I have even experienced the benefits of managing menopause with BHRT myself.

Managing Menopause With BHRT

In addition to the fact that BHRT medications are identical to your own naturally occurring hormones, the combination of bioidentical hormones used in your therapy will be specially curated to address your individual needs and medical history. BHRT formulas can supplement a wide range of male and female sex hormones as well as adrenal, pituitary, and thyroid hormones. There is no "one-size-fits-all" cocktail when you are managing menopause with BHRT. As we have seen above, soothing your symptoms and decreasing your risk of postmenopausal health conditions is all about achieving the right hormonal balance.

Your initial assessment with NP Optimal Health and Wellness routinely includes full blood panels to evaluate your hormone levels. The holistic approach of functional medicine provides an opportunity for us to look at a more complete medical and life history. Details overlooked in previous medical assessments may lead us closer to the root cause of your symptoms. Together we will determine the best course of treatment for managing your menopause with BHRT supported by adjustments to your lifestyle and nutrition.

Yes, menopause and its symptoms are natural. But that doesn't mean you have to live with them indefinitely. Contact us today to learn more about how you can manage menopause and continue on your path towards optimal health and wellness.