Have you experienced changes in your mood, energy levels, concentration, or appetite that have lasted several days? Do you have difficulty falling or staying asleep or feel more fatigued than you should? These are signs of hormonal imbalance, a condition that is common to men and women alike. At Rejuvené MD in El Paso, TX, we offer bioidentical hormone replacement therapy El Paso TX to help our clients restore their quality of life. Here’s what you need to know.
How Long Does It Take To Get Results From Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy?
One of the most commonly asked questions related to HRT is how long does BHRT take to work. As a good guideline, you can expect to notice the results of BHRT after 14 to 21 days. You shouldn’t expect immediate results because it takes time for your bloodstream to absorb the hormones. Additionally, you shouldn’t expect to feel the full effects of your therapy for around two months.
Roughly two months after your treatment, we will be able to tell whether your dosage is appropriate for your needs or not. Once this phase is complete, we recommend that you come in for a follow-up appointment quarterly. During these quarterly checkups, we will evaluate your ongoing results. Depending on the cause of your hormonal imbalance, you may need follow-up treatments to maintain the ideal results.
What Is Hormonal Imbalance?
Hormones are produced by the endocrine system and help to keep your mind regulated. Some hormones also play a role in regulating your body. There are several ways hormonal imbalances can occur. Occasionally, hormonal imbalance occurs because your endocrine system is producing too much of one hormone and not enough of other hormones.
Another way hormonal imbalance can occur is a deficiency in the production of one hormone. Regardless of why you are experiencing hormonal imbalance, changes in your mood, behavior, and overall outlook on life can occur. Often, people experiencing imbalanced hormone levels report changes in their hunger levels, sex drive, and ability to get restful, restorative sleep.
Who Can Be Hormonally Imbalanced?
Becoming hormonally imbalanced is common, particularly when you reach your mid-30s. Everyone goes through several hormonal changes as they age. As an adolescent, your body starts to produce more sex hormones.
By the time you reach middle age, your body starts to produce sex hormones at a reduced rate. That said, you don’t have to live with the unfortunate side effects of hormonal changes, like difficulty sleeping, weight gain, and irritability. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can help.
What Is Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy?
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, sometimes referred to as BHRT, is an incredibly advanced technique for restoring hormonal balance. In some cases, hormonal imbalances are temporary and BHRT needs to be used only briefly. Other times, longer-term treatment may be required. How long a series of treatments will last depends on the specific hormones that are diminished.
What Is a Bioidentical Hormone?
Hormone therapies have been used by doctors for years to help their clients improve their quality of life. This was accomplished through synthetic hormones derived most often from plants. These hormones were delivered via tablet, pill, or cream.
Bioidentical hormones are different. They are identical in molecular shape to the hormones your body produces. Therefore, they are much safer and more effective than hormones that your body can tell are synthetic. Among the bioidentical hormones, people benefit from are melatonin, progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone.
How Does This Treatment Work?
There are several stages to BHRT. The process begins with a primary evaluation stage. Then, the hormones your body is deficient in will be introduced. Once these bioidentical hormones have been introduced into your body, there will be a monitoring stage. During the monitoring stage of the therapy process, we will ensure your therapy is as effective as it should be and modify the dosages you are receiving if necessary.
Testing
Regardless of your symptoms, a test will be the first stage of your treatment process. You should expect to answer questions regarding the behavioral issues you are experiencing and other changes you may be noticing. After we have learned more about your unique experience, your hormone levels will be tested. Usually, a blood test is used. However, some people take urine or saliva tests. Once we have identified the hormones that are underrepresented, we can tailor your BHRT to restore balance to your hormone levels.
Hormones Introduced
Once we know the hormones you’re lacking and how imbalanced your hormone levels are, bioidentical hormones will be introduced into your body. There are a number of ways hormones can be introduced into your system. For example, some hormones are most effective when they are administered orally. In other instances, you may benefit the most from applying a topical cream to your skin to absorb the bioidentical hormones. Furthermore, hormones may be released transdermally with a slow-release patch or injected.
That said, the pellet method is the most popular hormone delivery method. The pellet method involves the implantation of a slow-release pellet beneath the dermis. Your body absorbs the bioidentical hormones over the course of several weeks. This hormone delivery system is so popular because it only needs to be administered once. After that, you don’t have to think about it for up to six months.
Results Monitored
Your results will be monitored over the course of several weeks as the hormones are introduced into your system gradually. During this stage, we will ensure everything is proceeding as it should. In some cases, we may need to increase the dose of the hormone you are receiving to achieve your desired results. It is ideal to start with low doses of hormones and make incremental adjustments as necessary.
What Conditions Can BHRT Treat?
Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Both major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) have many potential causes. Often, these mood disorders are caused by an imbalance in hormone levels. However, they may also be caused by such factors as neurological problems or genes. If you are in your mid-30s or older and have suddenly experienced symptoms of MDD or GAD, there is a good chance hormonal imbalance is causing depression or anxiety.
Low testosterone most often causes mood disorders. Testosterone is a critical sex hormone produced by both men and women. When the body no longer produces adequate amounts of testosterone, apathy and a number of other problems may arise. BHRT can increase the level of testosterone in the body and restore motivation, happiness, patience, libido, and more.
Chronic Fatigue
Chronic fatigue is another symptom of hormone imbalance that can be corrected with BHRT. Balanced hormone levels are essential for restorative sleep; restorative sleep is essential for preventing chronic fatigue.
Chronic fatigue is a condition characterized by a constant feeling of drowsiness or tiredness, regardless of how much sleep was had the night before. This condition can be corrected by regulating the ratio of progesterone to other hormones in the body.
Insomnia
A vicious cycle occurs when your progesterone level is too low. You don’t feel tired, so you can’t fall asleep. However, when you don’t get enough sleep, your body can’t produce other hormones efficiently. Inadequate sleep leads to such symptoms as weight gain, irritability, depression, and extreme cognitive decline.
Low Libido
As the production of sex hormones declines, libido declines. Usually, this is caused by low testosterone. However, women may experience this condition when they have enough testosterone but they have so much estrogen the testosterone cannot regulate everything it should regulate. Regardless of the cause of your low libido, BHRT can restore balance to your hormone levels and increase your libido.
Weight Gain
BHRT can also help you combat weight gain. Remember, when you don’t have enough progesterone, insomnia can occur. Insomnia often leads to weight gain because people tend to consume sugary foods and beverages when they don’t get enough sleep. This phenomenon also occurs in people who suffer from chronic fatigue due to an excess of progesterone.
Other hormonal imbalances also lead to weight gain. For example, some people have low levels of the satiety hormone (leptin) or high levels of the hunger hormone (ghrelin). Restoring balance to your hormone levels will help you lose weight by helping you feel fuller for longer periods of time, reducing the frequency and severity of hunger signals, and reducing cravings for energy-dense foods and drinks.
Cognitive Decline
BHRT can also improve your cognitive function. Some side effects of hormonal imbalance include a lack of clarity, brain fog, difficulty recalling long-term memories (like your anniversary or your daughter’s birthday), and difficulty forming short-term memories (like where you put the 10 mm socket you used in 30 seconds previously).
Luckily, you don’t have to settle for a lifetime of inadequate cognitive function. After a few weeks of bioidentical estrogen replacement therapy, you can restore mental clarity and improve your memory drastically. You may also find communication easier because people with low estrogen levels often forget words they have used for decades and struggle to think of synonyms to communicate their thoughts during a conversation.
Mood Swings
Sometimes, imbalanced hormone levels don’t cause depression or anxiety. However, they can still lead to mood swings. People in their 30s and 40s often struggle with hormonal imbalance because they struggle to regulate their feelings. If you find yourself to be uncontrollably moody or irritable, there is a good chance you are lacking such essential neurotransmitters as dopamine or serotonin.
Dopamine levels can be boosted temporarily through vigorous exercise. However, this isn’t a sustainable way to keep your mood regulated. BHRT can increase the levels of hormones responsible for the production of these neurotransmitters. This will result in fewer mood swings and a more positive outlook on life.
Osteoporosis
Bioidentical estrogen replacement therapy can also reverse the loss of bone mineral density. If you or a direct relative have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, we strongly encourage you to schedule an appointment to have your hormone levels tested and find out if BHRT will help you restore bone mineral density.
Schedule Your BHRT Consultation Today
If you are experiencing some of the symptoms of hormone imbalance, BHRT may be able to improve your quality of life. To find out if it’s right for you, contact us today at Rejuvené MD in El Paso, TX to schedule your initial consultation. We look forward to seeing you soon and helping you restore balance to your hormone levels.
