The premenopausal period causes most women between the ages of 40 and 55 a great deal of grief. Between the hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disturbances, and vaginal discomfort that dominates this time, it can negatively affect the quality of a woman’s life, self esteem, and emotional wellbeing. Hormone therapy however is a government-approved treatment applied to help alleviate menopausal symptoms caused by decreasing levels of estrogen.
Estrogen also controls how your body uses calcium, which strengthens bones, and raises good cholesterol in the blood. Hormone therapy can be very beneficial while a woman waits for the 12 months to pass after her final menstrual cycle, at which point she can be confident that her symptoms will stop altogether.
There are two main types of therapy, ET or estrogen-only therapy is prescribed to women who no longer have a uterus and EPT, combines estrogen and progestogen therapy. Progestogen is added to ET to protect women with a uterus against uterine cancer. Typically, hormones are given in the form of tablets taken orally, patches, gels, sprays, even injections. Creams are also prescribed to relieve vaginal symptoms.
If you are a woman over 40 beginning to experience the signs and are considering hormonal therapy, it’s a natural, non-invasive way to regulate the changes occurring in your body. It’s best to consult a physician to determine the most ideal age for you to begin treatment based on your body. Taking the lowest effective dose over the shortest possible period of time has proven consistently to be the safest route.
If you’re premenopausal, hormone therapy is certainly a more favorable alternative to using caffeine, sugar, or other substances that make you feel more awake for short, inconsistent periods of time. After a while, our bodies become dependent on these coping mechanisms, and yet the more we use them, the higher our toxicity levels become – weakening our bodies as a result.
At Womens BestHealth we choose the way of functional medicine, which uses natural remedies to modify certain illnesses and conditions. We incorporate the latest in genetic science and systems biology with an understanding of how environmental and lifestyle factors influence health.
We also specialize in disorders, and autoimmune diseases that tend to affect women primarily, providing a safe, holistic, and specialized approach. We always search for the root cause, and if you suspect you’re at the beginning of your premenopausal cycle, we will be able to rule out any other probable causes for your symptoms before administering treatment.
If you’re tired of feeling sick and tired, consult me at Womens BestHealth for more information about hormone therapy to see if it would be right for you. Give our office a call at (954) 782-4855, or visit our website at www.womensbesthealth.com for helpful resources, articles, and blogs regarding functional medicine. Get back that energy you remember having, and enjoy a full night of sleep again while shifting your body back into balance.