Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy: Everything You Should Know

Hormones send chemical signals to nearly every part of your body to control many physical functions, including your growth, development, mood, reproduction, sexual function, and metabolism. If you don’t have the right hormone levels, it becomes a challenge to function normally. Mood swings, weight gain, and fatigue are among the issues that can affect your quality of life. This is where bioidentical hormone therapy can help. Bioidentical hormones mimic your body’s chemicals more closely than any other hormone therapy available, restoring them to optimal levels.

Are you curious of the signs and symptoms of hormonal imbalance? If so, then you’ve come to the right place. At Bion Aesthetics and Med Spa in Indianapolis, IN, we can help you understand the signs and symptoms of hormonal imbalance with bioidentical hormone therapy.

All hormones play an essential role to help a body function. By using bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) to compensate for a hormone deficiency, your quality of life can significantly increase in multiple ways, including:

• Weight loss
• Better mood and well-being
• Improved cognitive function
• Higher libido
• Reduction in age-related decline
• Improved resistance to medical conditions like strokes and heart attacks
• Increased energy

People of any age with a hormone deficiency can benefit from bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. How do you know if you have a hormone imbalance? Some symptoms that may indicate a hormone deficiency include:

• Low energy
• Sleeplessness
• Brain fog
• Weight gain
• Mood swings
• Muscle loss

Symptoms can also include hot flashes, low libido, and hair loss for women. Men might experience erectile dysfunction, loss of bone mass, and gynecomastia, which refers to an unexpected increase in new breast tissue. A human body depends heavily on proper hormone levels to function optimally. If you’re experiencing any of these issues, the first step is to seek medical attention for a comprehensive lab analysis of your hormone levels.

Lab testing includes in depth blood tests, plus saliva samples in some cases, to determine your optimal level of naturally produced hormones. A trained medical provider will take your medical history, then ask questions about your current symptoms. After comparing this information with your lab results, they can make a proper diagnosis and create a treatment plan best suited for your individual needs.

Many medical conditions are caused directly or in part by deficiencies of various hormones. Here are some examples of conditions that result from hormone imbalances and can be treated with BHRT.

Adrenal glands produce hormones you cannot live without, such as cortisol, which helps regulate stress in your system and increases glucose in your blood to help heal different tissue. When your adrenal glands over or under-produce these hormones, you often get an adrenal disorder. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can be a great way to bring your adrenal hormone levels back in check.

Menopause happens when a woman’s ovaries gradually begin making less estrogen and progesterone as she ages. The symptoms of menopause can be intense, but using BHRT to treat the underlying hormonal imbalances can significantly diminish their severity.

Andropause is like the male version of menopause: it’s when the production of testosterone declines as a man ages, typically starting between the ages of 45 and 55. BHRT is perfect for counteracting the effects of andropause, preventing any symptoms associated with testosterone loss.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic illness that involves systemic pain and tenderness. It can encompass the entire body or be localized to certain parts of the body. Medical providers don’t fully understand the causes of fibromyalgia yet, but a contributing factor could be hormonal imbalances that BHRT can rectify.

Insulin resistance occurs when your body doesn’t produce sufficient insulin or when it loses the ability to process the hormone efficiently. Regardless of its cause, the development of insulin resistance can elevate your blood glucose levels, leading to Type 2 diabetes. BHRT can often help address the underlying causes of insulin resistance, preventing this condition from developing.

When your bone density diminishes, typically because of estrogen deficiency, it leads to a condition called osteoporosis. Thus, osteoporosis is common in post-menopausal women. Using BHRT to balance estrogen levels can aid in the prevention of this condition.

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative brain disorder that affects nerve cells in the brain.  It has been shown in clinical trials  that BHRT in the form of estriol, estrogen, and estradiol may mitigate the symptoms and slow the progression of the disease.

As the ovaries reduce estrogen production, perimenopause can set in before full menopause, resulting in symptoms like insomnia, menstrual irregularities, lack of sex drive, hot flashes, and vaginal dryness. BHRT can help lessen the symptoms related to this natural transition.

Whether you have an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) or an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), these conditions can severely affect your health and wellness. Hormones produced by the thyroid are crucial for the operation of every cell in your body, meaning an out-of-balance thyroid can cause many issues, including anxiety, excessive weight loss or gain, and muscle weakness. BHRT can often help get the thyroid hormonal levels back within normal limits.

When issues like age, genetic variables, and chronic stress disrupt the hormonal levels in your body, weight loss resistance can occur. Typically, progesterone and estrogen imbalances are hormonal anomalies that lead to weight loss resistance, which can be rectified via BHRT.

Before beginning a BHRT regimen, make sure your medical provider understands your symptoms beforehand so the treatment best addresses your needs. A provider can use your lab results and a symptoms analysis to tailor a BHRT program that’s right for you. After starting BHRT, you should experience positive effects like improved energy, sleep, mental function, mood, and sexual function, or a reduction in joint pain. Be prepared for some potential side effects, though, like cramps, bloating, breast tenderness, headaches, and acne. Fortunately, these symptoms are often temporary while your body adjusts to the new hormone levels.