Hormone levels peak during puberty and the early years of your adult life but gradually decline as you age. Low hormone levels can lead to weight gain, low libido, poor sleep patterns, and other issues. If you experience such symptoms, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can restore your optimal levels using bioidentical medications. Here’s when to talk to your doctor about HRT:
Low Hormone Level Symptoms
An ideal time to seek hormone replacement therapy is when you start experiencing the symptoms of dropping hormone levels. Your doctor may recommend starting with lifestyle adjustments like healthy eating, regular exercise, and stress management. If such approaches don’t work, they may suggest HRT to restore dropping hormonal levels. Symptoms of low hormone levels vary from fatigue to poor mental clarity. You can also experience weight gain and external signs of aging like wrinkles and thin skin.
If the symptoms affect your daily activities, quality of life, or relationships, seek HRT to restore normal hormone levels. Your hormone therapy specialist can perform bloodwork and other tests to determine your testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone levels. If these levels are low, your doctor can create a personalized HRT plan for you. This therapy offers benefits such as boosted energy levels and libido, improved sleep, and reduced anxiety and depression.
Early or Premature Menopause
Menopause is a condition all women go through, with 52 years old being the average age of occurrence. Premature menopause occurs when you experience moderate to severe symptoms of menopause before age 40. Symptoms include hot flashes, night sweats, discomfort during intercourse, and vaginal dryness. You may also experience sleep disorders and mood swings.
HRT is one treatment option if you’ve been diagnosed with premature menopause that has no evident surgical or medical cause. The therapy boosts your estrogen levels, reducing the severity of menopausal symptoms. Your hormone therapy specialist may also suggest HRT following a hormonal imbalance diagnosis. Hormonal imbalances stem from menopause, thyroid issues, adrenal fatigue, and other conditions. HRT helps to rebalance your levels by replenishing the depleted hormones.
Hormone therapy may also be recommended after a hysterectomy, a procedure that removes the uterus, to reduce hormonal imbalances. A total hysterectomy reduces your body’s natural production of reproductive hormones and increases the likelihood of menopausal symptoms. HRT can compensate for the loss by supplying bioidentical hormones that mimic the ones your body would normally produce.
Bone and Heart Health Conditions
If you are younger than age 40, replacing your hormone levels helps to reduce the risk of developing heart disease. Replenishing your hormones also boosts bone strength, reducing the risk of bone conditions like osteoporosis. The therapy may be used to prevent further bone loss if you’ve already been diagnosed with osteoporosis. Additional benefits of HRT include a reduced risk of diabetes and colon cancer.
Find a Specialist for Hormone Replacement Therapy
Low hormonal levels can result in many undesirable symptoms and health complications that lower quality of life. Working with a hormone therapy specialist allows you to manage age-related symptoms and improve your well-being by maintaining optimal hormone levels. Contact a hormone replacement therapy specialist today to find out more about treatment options.
