Bioidentical Hormones for Menopause

Treating Menopause with BHRT

While hormone replacement therapy can’t stop your body from going through the natural process of menopause, it can help to reduce or eliminate many of the associated symptoms. BHRT is a particular form of hormone replacement therapy that uses bioidentical hormones to relieve symptoms while experiencing little to no side effects.

Bioidentical hormones are hormones derived from natural sources such as soy and yams. What makes them truly unique is that they are chemically identical to the natural hormones that your body normally produces. This means that when you give your body bioidentical hormones to supplement those that your body is not producing, it can’t tell the difference! This is not the case with synthetic hormones. Synthetic hormones are not identical to your body’s natural hormones. Synthetic hormones are altered with unnatural chemical components so that their formulas can be patented by their manufacturers. Many women have tried synthetic hormones but later switched to bioidentical hormones because of adverse side-effects.

Bioidentical Hormones Used to Treat Menopausal Symptoms

• Estriol: It is formed in the liver and is 8% as potent as estradiol and 14% as potent as estrone. The lack of it can cause problems with dry skin and urinary tract infections.
• Estradiol: This is the major form of estrogen produced by the ovaries. Which means the imbalance of this hormone causes the majority of troublesome symptoms. It is the primary female sex hormone, but it also affects other tissues–including bone.
• Progesterone: Your body naturally releases progesterone in the second half of your menstrual cycle. It is also responsible for helping to sustain a pregnancy. When progesterone and estrogen are balanced in the second half of your cycle, you are less likely to experience PMS or heavy periods. In menopause, progesterone helps you feel calm, sleep well, and “feel yourself”.
• Testosterone: Although primarily a male hormone, testosterone is present in smaller amounts in women. Testosterone imbalance affects energy levels, sexual desire, muscle tone and the overall sense of well-being.
• Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA): This hormone is produced by the brain and helps to create sex hormones in both genders. Balancing the level of DHEA in your body can help increase your energy, stamina, and resiliency. As well as help fight depression, obesity, and osteoporosis.

Benefits of Bioidentical Hormones

Bioidentical hormones benefit the female body in a multitude of ways. Because of the way that these natural hormones identically match the hormones in the human body, women experience little to no side effects when undergoing Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy.

They Are Natural and Bio-Identical To Your Own Hormones

Bioidentical hormones are derived from natural plant sources–like soy and yam–and are an exact chemical match to the hormones your body naturally produces. Bioidentical Hormones are preferable to synthetic hormones because your body treats them as if they were its own. Synthetic hormones made within labs include added compounds so that they can be patented–which means you are getting unnecessary added chemical components.

Better Sleep is Essential to Better Health

Healthy hormone levels are crucial to maintaining healthy sleep cycles. When your body loses sync with its normal sleep schedule, you can get stuck in a feedback loop where losing sleep disrupts healthy hormone production–further disrupting your sleep cycle. Balancing your hormones can help get you back on a healthy sleeping schedule and improve your overall wellbeing.

Reduce Cravings and Lose Weight More Easily

Low estrogen levels can make it hard to lose weight. This is because estrogen is stored in fat cells. When your body naturally begins producing less estrogen it attempts to hold onto the fat in order to preserve as much estrogen as possible. By receiving bioidentical estrogen through BHRT, your body will recognize the new source of estrogen and allow the fat to come off.

Better Moods – Feel Your Best

Our moods are informed by a complex web of factors. Day-to-day our moods shift along with our personal experiences. Being in a bad mood isn’t necessarily a symptom of hormone imbalance; however, experiencing erratic changes in your mood or consistently feeling sour when you would normally feel upbeat are signs that something internal is disrupting your moods. By balancing your hormones, you can improve your brain chemistry and get back to feeling like yourself again.

Raise Libido and Regain Sex Drive

Sex drive is innately linked to hormone production–especially testosterone. So when your hormones are imbalanced, your desire for sex and physical contact can diminish. This can contribute to symptoms of depression because of overall changes in your mood and issues within intimate relationships. Using BHRT to balance hormones can help to reignite your libido.