Hormone Therapy & Menopause Care
What is Hormone Therapy?
Hormone Therapy (HT) is the use of hormones to treat and restore hormone balance within the human body. Hormone imbalance can occur for a variety of reasons, but is most commonly associated with aging. Symptoms of hormone imbalance that are effectively treated with hormone replacement therapy include hot flashes, night sweats, irritability, anxiety, weight gain, muscle loss, joint pain, poor sleep, and more.
At Handbook Health, our practitioners offer bioidentical hormone replacement therapy integrated with functional medicine practices to help patients overcome the negative symptoms of hormone imbalance, as well as experience wellbeing and better health as they age. Every treatment plan is designed to suit the unique needs of each patient’s personal medical history, health status, and lifestyle preferences.
Menopause Hormone Therapy:
Potential to Delay or Prevent Age-related Disease
“Many of the major risks that women face as they age—heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer's disease—are or may well be reduced by hormone replacement therapy.
A decision not to consider hormone replacement is a health decision too, just as is the decision not to take a flu shot or get a hepatitis vaccination.
As I see it, women have a competitive health & survival edge before menopause. I see no reason to relinquish that advantage after menopause—not if I can help it.”
— Bernadine Healy, MD
American cardiologist and first female director of the National Institutes of Health
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Health Benefits of Hormone Optimization:
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Health & Happiness
Changes in hormone levels happen naturally for women as they age, resulting in symptoms starting up to 10 years before menopause. Symptoms like hot flashes, mood swings, and others have a very real impact on health and should not be ignored. Studies show that maintaining optimal hormone levels are beneficial for overall well-being & long-term health.
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Longevity
Current evidence strongly indicates that starting HRT at the correct time is key for reducing risk of age-related diseases like osteoporosis, dementia, heart disease, and more. Misinformation surrounding hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has negatively impacted the health of thousands of menopausal women over the past 20 years. We’re here to give clear, unbiased insights about female hormone health so that you can decide if HRT is right for you.
Types of Hormone Therapy
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Topical Therapy utilizes creams, vaginal gels, or ointments -- usually applied daily.
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Pellet Therapy is administered via small, sterile pellets containing only bio-identical hormones which are inserted superficially under the skin during a 10 minute, painless procedure.
Patients typically receive 3-4 pellet insertions per year.
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Hybrid Therapy is a proprietary program created at Handbook Health.
Utilizing various forms of hormone therapy, our medical experts can tailor your treatment plan to your specific needs and goals.
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Transdermal Patches placed on the skin deliver bio-identical estrogen continuously over 4-7 days.
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Injection Therapy has primarily been utilized for male testosterone therapy, but the option is also available for women.
While we prefer other forms of therapy for our female patients, we continue to offer injections for our patients who prefer this form of treatment.
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Oral Hormone Medications are one of the few treatments covered by most health insurance plans, but research shows that treatment with synthetic estrogen pills has the highest risks of side effects or complications.
This is an example of how female hormone therapy recommendations are still stuck in 2001.
There are safer, and in our experience, more effective treatment options available so we do not utilize oral estrogen therapy for our patients.
Symptoms of Hormone Imbalance
Early symptoms of female hormone imbalance are commonly dismissed as signs of aging or stress brought on by everyday life. Many women continue to suffer without realizing that perimenopause and menopause should not cause daily symptoms and ongoing distress.
Thyroid dysfunction presents with symptoms similar to menopausal hormone imbalance and should not be left untreated. If you are experiencing symptoms of a hormone imbalance, don’t dismiss them, talk to an expert in hormone health.
Hot Flashes
Night Sweats
Irregular Periods
Mood Swings
Vaginal Dryness
Sleep Problems
Weight Gain
Thinning Hair & Dry Skin
Brain Fog
Decreased Libido
Hormonal imbalance can affect your personal health and multiple facets of daily life, including your sleep, relationships, weight management, and energy levels.
This is because hormones play a vital role in regulating biological processes, such as fertility, sexual function and desire, mood, stress, body temperature, sleep/wake cycles, heart rate, appetite regulation, and metabolism. If even one hormone is overproduced or underproduced, the impact can be life-altering.
The Handbook Approach
Hear what experts on Oprah have to say about HT
FAQs
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There have been a number of studies and meta-analyses reviewing the safety and efficacy of hormone therapy and bioidentical hormones. The outcomes suggest that bioidentical hormones are the safer, more effective option for treating conditions and symptoms of hormone imbalance when compared to methods of hormone therapy that use non-bioidentical hormone therapies.
In addition to effectively treating hormone imbalance, other studies have linked bioidentical hormones to a reduced risk of cardiovascular complications and breast cancer when compared to non-bioidentical hormone therapies.
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Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) uses bioidentical hormones derived from natural sources and compounded to be an exact structural match to the hormones inside the human body.
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Synthetic hormones are often derived from animals and combined with chemicals to create a hormone therapy that is similar, but not exactly like human hormones.
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The natural ingredients combined with the molecular match allows bioidentical hormones to fit into human hormone receptors exactly as naturally-occurring hormones. This feature ensures the safety and efficacy of the treatment. With synthetic hormones, the molecular structure is merely similar, causing the body to struggle with recognition of the substance and, therefore, causing side effects and poor outcomes.
In the past, most research into hormone therapy focused on synthetic hormones, but as the effectiveness of bioidentical hormone therapy has become renowned, researchers are turning their attention to BHRT. Bioidentical hormones have been heralded as a natural hormone therapy option and are effective for disease prevention as well as eliminating uncomfortable symptoms that often occur as part of the aging process.
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Men and women who feel they may have lost their “zeal for life,” or frequently experience low energy, sleepless nights, hair loss, low or no desire for sex, hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, irritability and more are candidates for hormone replacement therapy.
Hormone imbalance is often an unfortunate side effect of aging that can diminish your quality of life and impact relationships.
Take control of your health by arming yourself with both sides of the story.
Questions?
