What Is Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy?
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) is an effective, all-natural approach for treating the effects of aging. It is considered safer than traditional (synthetic) hormone replacement therapy because bioidentical hormones are plant based and have the same chemical and molecular structure as hormones found in the human body.
Because we produce fewer key hormones as we age, BHRT helps to replenish these hormone levels in our bodies. The loss of key hormones—including estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, thyroid, and melatonin—leaves our bodies in an altered state, causing a hormonal imbalance.
A Subtle Decline of Hormone Levels Begins at Midlife
After the reproductive years, the health of women and men wanes. It’s then when symptoms become palpable enough for us to feel the impact on our health and quality of life. This period is commonly referred to as either menopause (in women) or andropause (in men). Symptoms of menopause include hot flashes, decreased sex drive, and vaginal dryness, while symptoms of andropause include loss of muscle strength, erectile dysfunction, and fatigue.
Most of us are at our best health during our 20’s and 30’s, when hormone levels are at their peak. It is a time when fewer diseases and illnesses—such as cancer, diabetes, infections, heart disease, bone fractures, among others—arise than almost any other time in life.
Though the decline starts in our late 30’s, it is subtle enough that many of us don’t notice the effects on the body until our early 40’s. Sometimes, it may be the late 40’s to early 50’s before we ever detect changes.
Support for BHRT Has Increased Among Traditional Physicians
For years, Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy has been controversial in the medical community because its existence challenges the long-held yet erroneous stance in traditional medicine that aging is a normal process whose effects should be mitigated with prescription drugs. And because BHRT doesn’t align with the pharmaceutical industry's need to profit from aging-related prescription drugs and hormones, some see it as a threat to the status quo.
Despite these obstacles, over the last 40 years or so, there has been an increase in the momentum by more traditional physicians to support the use of bioidentical hormone therapy for women and men, as clinicians have recognized that it can not only help improve health but also reduce the risk of certain illnesses as we age.
Treatment varies from client to client depending on the administering doctor and can consist of injections, implanted pellets, capsules, patches, gels, and/or creams.
The Benefit Of Hormone Replacement Therapy
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy is most often used for women and men over 50 who are experiencing the effects of menopause or andropause and who want to alleviate their symptoms.
Before seeking BHRT, some clients may experience challenges in the traditional medical system. Maybe their doctor dismissed their numerous concerns about the changes they’ve felt in their bodies and chooses to forgo testing that can offer more insight into their client’s problems. Or if tested, maybe a client is told by their doctor that “nothing is wrong” simply because the inconclusive results don’t match the ongoing symptoms a client continues to experience or their labs and tests look “normal”.
Individuals who seek BHRT need someone who understands that what they feel isn’t just in their head and that they feel real symptoms from very real problems. BHRT honors an individual’s concerns by looking extensively into their hormonal makeup to treat deficiencies.
Controlling the Effects of Aging
Once you decide to start a BHRT regimen, you have the chance to curb the effects of aging by returning your body’s hormones to optimal levels. You no longer have to allow yourself to fall victim to aging and can instead safely explore the health benefits of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.
Some of the benefits of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy include:
Fewer night sweats and hot flashes
Improved mental clarity
Higher libido
Less bloating and weight gain
More energy during the day and better sleep at night
Improved muscle strength
Improvement of chronic illnesses like diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia that lead to heart disease
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy consists of a daily regimen of creams and tablets. BHRT is recommended indefinitely unlike traditional hormone therapy recommendations (only recommended for three to five years). The benefits of BHRT are lifelong for both your quality of life and overall health.
What To Expect Over The Course Of Therapy
During the initial phone conversation. I will learn more about your history, problems, and goals. Afterward, we can set up an appointment for our first in-person consultation.
Prior to this appointment, I will forward a new client consultation packet which includes a five-page comprehensive questionnaire for you to fill out. I will also request recent copies (within the last 12 months) of basic studies, mammogram results, bone density, a pap smear, and a pelvic or prostate exam. Additionally, I will order a comprehensive set of labs.
During the initial consultation, we will review your questionnaire and the requested health reports, as well as the comprehensive panel of labs, to learn more about your hormonal health. By the end of our first consultation, we will have formulated a detailed personalized hormonal regimen and a plan of action that I will present to you in a comprehensive three-page summary and a plan of action for treatment.
Two weeks after this first in-person consultation, I will send a follow-up email to check in with you to see how you are managing the new regimen. (Note that future appointments are set at the end of each visit.)
About six weeks later, we will meet for our second consultation. At this time we will review the list of symptoms and goals, along with another set of labs, and make adjustments to the regimen as needed. Follow-up consultations are scheduled about every four to six months or as needed. I am also available at any time between scheduled appointments to answer questions or clarify any instructions.
The annual consultation fee covers all phone calls, emails, and office consultations. Over the course of therapy, I will also provide educational materials such as videos, manuals, and relevant articles to give you more resources that will allow you to better understand what BHRT is and how it uniquely affects your health.
Why I Made The Transition From Traditional Medicine To The Less-Traveled Path Of BHRT
I am a board-certified OB/GYN and have practiced traditional obstetrics and gynecology for more than 30 years before making the transition into the less-worn but extremely rewarding path of Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy.
Throughout my OB/GYN career, I often prescribed hormone therapy to clients, which I later learned didn’t help my clients experience a better quality of life because they were synthetic hormones. Certainly, they needed something different!
Around that same time, I had also begun to experience the challenges of aging, and looking for something different, I decided to first start a bioidentical hormone regimen for myself. So I crafted a treatment plan for myself, along with one for my husband and my then 87-year-old mom. Once I personally experienced and saw the remarkable changes that had taken place in us over the course of six months, I decided to change my practice.
Starting a New Practice
My initial intention was to morph my 20+ year-old surgical practice into a new hybrid practice implementing BHRT. But I soon found out that traditional medicine, insurance companies, and the pharmaceutical industry—due to their profits dependent on managing aging rather than offering solutions—were not at all interested in allowing me to do this.
As a result, I chose to start an entirely new practice in 2016. And by 2017, I had decided to completely shut down my surgical practice and devote my attention solely to BHRT with a preventative approach to medicine.
Since then I have not looked back. And I have had the privilege to help many women and men restore their hormone levels to those of their youth, inspiring better health and well-being and reclaiming the essence of who they truly are.
Restore Your Hormone Levels And Restore Your Life
Now is the time to give yourself the new and renewed life you deserve. If you’re ready to be the you that you’ve always known yourself to be—despite the passage of time or perhaps because of it—I invite you to schedule a free, 15-minute consultation to learn more about how bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can improve your health and your overall quality of life.
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