Menopause is a natural transition that all women experience as they reach middle age. It marks the end of a woman's reproductive years and is defined as occurring 12 months after a woman's last menstrual period. The years leading up to menopause are called perimenopause. This transitional time can last several years as hormone levels begin to decline.
Key changes during menopause include:
The average age for menopause is 51, but it can occur anywhere from 40-55 years old. Genetics and lifestyle factors play a role in timing.
Menopause symptoms vary widely from woman to woman. They range from mild to quite disruptive. Common complaints include:
Symptoms are often intermittent but can persist for years. They arise from declining hormones. Estrogen withdrawal affects the brain, vasomotor system, urogenital tract, skin, hair, metabolism, and more.
Certain circumstances or conditions can increase a woman's risk of more severe menopause symptoms:
Addressing risk factors, when possible, can help reduce symptom severity. Lifestyle changes like more exercise, a healthy diet, lowered stress, and smoking cessation can all help.
Hormone therapy (HT) helps relieve uncomfortable symptoms during perimenopause and early menopause. It replaces the declining hormones - mainly estrogen - to return them to premenopausal levels.
Restoring hormones can:
HT is most effective when started shortly after menopause begins. Customized therapy and finding the right hormone types and dosages can optimize results.
There are two main forms of hormone therapy - bioidentical and synthetic hormones:
Harmony Hormone Center specializes in bioidentical HT. Made from yams and soy plants, these hormones work harmoniously with a woman's physiology. Dosages can be precisely customized.
Many women report that bioidentical hormones relieve menopause symptoms more effectively. Side effects may also be reduced compared to synthetic versions.
There are several delivery methods used for hormone therapy:
Oral - Hormone pills, usually taken daily
Transdermal - Hormones absorbed through skin via patch, gel, or spray
Vaginal - Localized, low-dose creams, tablets, or rings
Injections - Depo hormone shots lasting several months
Pellets - Tiny implants placed under skin that provide sustained hormone release
Harmony Hormone Center utilizes a wide range of bioidentical hormone preparations to best fit an individual woman. We help determine the optimal type, dose, and delivery method for each patient.
Restoring depleted estrogen levels is vital, but progesterone balance is critical too. Unopposed estrogen can increase health risks.
If the uterus is intact, progesterone is given cyclically or continually alongside estrogen. This protects the uterine lining. Even without a uterus, many providers give some progesterone for optimal hormonal harmony.
Testosterone and DHEA may provide additional benefits for some women also. Our practitioners carefully evaluate hormone levels to craft personalized regimens aimed at balance.
The Harmony Hormone Center takes an integrative approach to managing menopause through:
Our goal is to optimize relief of symptoms while also lowering any health risks - so women can thrive through the menopausal transition.
At Harmony Hormone Center, we fully assess the following key areas when developing a treatment plan:
Recommendations on nutrition, fitness, and stress reduction techniques are often included in treatment plans. Referrals to dietitians or mental health practitioners may also be made.
Follow up is vital so that dosage adjustments can be made in response to lab trends and symptom changes. We collaborate with patients throughout their menopause journey for optimal outcomes.
Declining or deficient estrogen is what drives most bothersome menopausal symptoms. Restoration of estradiol and estriol can provide immense relief.
Benefits of boosting estrogen levels include:
Estrogen formulations utilized at Harmony Hormone Center include topical creams, oral pills, sublingual drops, and pellet implants. Dosage is tailored to the minimum effective for symptom control.
Without a uterus, estrogen alone may be reasonable. But for those still with a uterus, progesterone is vital to protect the uterine lining and prevent hyperplasia or cancer risk.
Oral micronized progesterone is well absorbed and often preferred for versatility of use. Available as Prometrium pills or compounded capsules, daily dosing can preserve normal menstrual cycles. Alternatively, cyclical progesterone schedules (like the first 14 days each month) work too.
For women who have had hysterectomies, a lower daily progesterone dose may still be beneficial for:
Testosterone and DHEA also normally decline in women over time. Androgen loss contributes to libido changes, loss of muscle mass, decreased stamina, and reduced sense of well-being.
Adding back bioidentical testosterone at a physiological dosage can effectively:
If total testosterone levels fall consistently below 20 ng/dL or free testosterone slides under 2 pg/mL, adding supplemental androgens is very reasonable. This restores levels back up to those of normal premenopausal women.
DHEA levels may be checked as well since this precursor hormone converts into downstream sex hormones. Oral DHEA tablets can be an excellent choice to augment testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone simultaneously.
We carefully monitor clinical response along with follow up lab testing to ensure added androgens are helpful not excessive.
Low thyroid function often develops along with declining sex hormones. This exacerbates fatigue, weight gain, low mood, and other menopausal complaints.
Checking TSH, Free T4, Free T3, and thyroid antibodies can uncover an underlying thyroid imbalance. Treatment with levothyroxine may help relieve refractive symptoms when indicated.
Weight loss and emotional stability become much easier when all hormone systems are restored back into balance together!
Many women are unaware that certain lifestyle changes can significantly reduce menopausal symptoms. Simple steps like regular exercise, stress reduction techniques, dietary changes to boost phytoestrogens, and acupuncture have been found in studies to lessen hot flashes, mood swings, sleep disruption, and other common menopausal issues without medication.
Initiating hormone therapy early in the menopausal transition ensures the best response. WHI data found starting within the first few years had most favorable effects on symptom reduction and preventing bone loss.
Women who delayed therapy for over 10 years post menopause onset received less benefits in terms of menopausal relief, sexual health, and cardiovascular effects.
At Harmony Hormone Center, we educate women that intervening at the first bothersome symptoms offers advantages. Tracking lab trends over subsequent years then facilitates proper follow up and dosage tweaks.
Relief builds gradually so being patient through the adjustment process is important. But most women can expect good responses within 1-3 months when hormones are replenished back to optimal levels.
Menopause progression and response to treatment varies greatly among women based on their:
Cookie cutter dose recommendations simply don't suffice. We know that menopause care requires an individualized approach for hormone testing interpretations and therapeutic choices.
At Harmony Hormone Center, thorough lab analysis, careful dose adjustments, and follow up testing allows us to customize plans. We modify therapy until each woman feels her best physically and emotionally given her health profile.
Ongoing fine tuning and collaboration then helps ease this transition - avoiding prolonged, unnecessary menopausal misery!
There was previously a lot of fear about hormone therapy increasing breast cancer, heart attacks, stroke, and more. But conclusions were overly simplistic and based on outdated evidence.
Here's what we know now:
At Harmony Hormone Center, we closely monitor patients so that care is optimized for symptom relief as well as safety.
For those unable to take systemic estrogen, alternatives like certain antidepressants or gabapentin sometimes help hot flashes. Herbal remedies also occasionally reduce severity/frequency.
However, estrogen remains the most effective treatment for most troublesome hot flashes. Topical/localized ultralow dose vaginal estrogen is one option that minimizes systemic absorption.
We also favor bioidentical hormones over conventional oral Premarin or conjugated equine estrogens due to superior tolerability.
Recent expert consensus guidelines support longer duration HRT than previously advised - generally until at least the natural age of menopause (51 years).
Discontinuing sooner often leads to rapid recurrence of symptoms. Gradual tapering off is recommended after several years if desired. However, many women choose to continue longer (5-10 years or even indefinitely).
Annual reassessment of whether to continue provides an opportunity to evaluate if risks now outweigh benefits. But for the majority, staying on brings continued advantages.
Deciding this with your hormone specialist while carefully weighing pros and cons for your situation is wise. Quality of life with properly managed HRT often remains excellent for most.
Below are some tips that may help in navigating the changes of menopause as smoothly as possible:
A healthy anti-inflammatory diet rich in plants and omega-3s provides the essential building blocks necessary for menopausal women to produce and balance hormones optimally.
Key diet components to emphasize daily include:
Certain healthy lifestyle behaviors also support balancing hormones:
Some suggested establishments for embracing a healthier lifestyle during menopause here in the Snowflake area include:
We hope you'll feel empowered to take charge of your menopause transition and implement the comprehensive, integrative strategies shared here. Our caring practitioners are also here to provide experienced guidance every step of the way!
