Bioidentical Hormones for Women and Menopause
The signs and effects of the menopause transition can begin as early as age 35, although most women become aware of the transition in their mid to late 40s. Normally lasting for several years, its duration varies for every woman, and its course is impossible to predict. During perimenopause, which can last 4-6 years and usually ends after twelve months of amenorrhea, a woman’s menstrual cycle becomes irregular and varied, and fertility becomes diminished.
Menopause
A woman is considered to have reached menopause when a full year has passed since her last menstrual cycle.
Natural menopause is a condition that every healthy woman will experience as she reaches middle age, typically between the ages of 35-59. It is a natural, gradual process that occurs when a woman’s ovaries produce less estrogen and progesterone, and her lifetime supply of eggs becomes depleted.
Women going through menopause often experience a combination of some or all of the following symptoms:
- Hot flashes
- Night sweats and/or cold flashes
- Declining mental ability (brain fog)
- Irritibility, mood swings, sudden tears
- Loss of libido, vaginal dryness
- Heart palpitations
- Fatigue, anxiety, and more
- Urinary urgency
- Inability to sleep through the night
- Clammy skin
- Depression
- Weight gain
Perimenopause – Perimenopause is the word that describes the time when a woman’s body transitions from her fertile, child-bearing years into middle age. During this natural transition, the body undergoes biologic changes resulting from declining ovarian hormone production.
Every woman’s experience is different, but common symptoms of perimenopause include:
- Irregular menstrual periods
- Hot flashes
- Vaginal dryness
- Insomnia
- Mood swings
- Depression
- Weight gain
Menopause treatments focus on relieving your signs and symptoms and on preventing or lessening chronic conditions that may occur with aging.
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy using Estrogen therapy remains, by far, the most effective treatment option for relieving menopausal hot flashes. Depending on your personal and family medical history, we may recommend estrogen to provide symptom relief for you. The addition of natural Progesterone, Testosterone, Thyroid, DHEA and Vitamin D may be recommended to round out the plan of optimizing your hormone balance and alleviate your specific symptoms.