Overview of Menopause and Available Treatments
Menopause is a natural transition that all women go through as they age, marking the end of a woman's reproductive years. The average age for menopause is 51, but it can occur anytime between the ages of 45-55. As a woman approaches menopause, hormone levels fluctuate and decline, leading to symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, difficulty sleeping, irritability, and more.
While menopause is a normal part of aging, the symptoms can significantly disrupt a woman's quality of life. Thankfully, there are treatment options available to help women manage symptoms and transition through menopause smoothly. Hormone therapy (HT) is one of the most effective treatments for relieving menopausal symptoms. At a specialized hormone clinic like Hormone Harmony, doctors can develop customized hormone therapy plans to meet each woman's individual needs.
Signs It's Time to Seek Treatment
Some of the key signs that it may be time to seek treatment for menopause include:
- Hot flashes suddenly appearing and occurring multiple times a day
- Night sweats disrupting sleep
- Vaginal dryness making intimacy painful
- Mood swings, irritability, anxiety, or depression
- Difficulty concentrating or memory lapses
- Changes in skin such as dryness or thinning
If you are experiencing several of these symptoms regularly, it is a good idea to have your hormone levels tested and speak to a menopause specialist about treatment options. The sooner you seek treatment, the sooner you can find relief.
Benefits of Hormone Therapy
Some of the main benefits of hormone therapy for menopause are:
- Reduces hot flashes/night sweats - HT improves temperature regulation in the body
- Relieves vaginal dryness - Localized estrogen helps restore moisture
- Protects against bone loss - Estrogen therapy maintains bone mineral density
- Reduces risk of fracture - Lower fracture risk by improving bone strength
- Provides cardiovascular benefits - Can improve cholesterol levels when started early
- Improves mood - Helps relieve irritability, anxiety, and depression
- Enhances memory/concentration - Estrogen impacts areas of the brain responsible for memory
- Restores restful sleep - Reduces night sweats and hot flashes disrupting sleep
For many women, hormone therapy can drastically improve menopause symptoms and quality of life. When hormone levels are restored back to optimal levels, women often report feeling much more like themselves again.
Menopause Diagnosis and Testing
Before starting any kind of treatment, it is important to have a proper diagnosis from a doctor specializing in menopause. Your doctor will review your symptoms and medical history, perform a pelvic exam, and order hormone blood tests to help confirm you are going through menopause.
Some of the key hormone levels they may test include:
- Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) - Elevated FSH indicates declining ovarian function
- Estrogen (estradiol, estrone, estriol) - Declining estrogen levels associated with menopause
- Testosterone - Testosterone levels also gradually decline with age
- Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) - DHEA supports energy levels and sex drive
- Thyroid levels (TSH, T4) - Thyroid issues can mimic menopause symptoms
Understanding your hormone levels allows an expert menopause specialist to create a customized treatment plan to properly restore your hormonal balance. Follow up tests may be ordered after starting treatment to ensure hormones are being optimized.
Finding the Right Hormone Doctor for You
Choosing the right hormone doctor is extremely important when it comes to menopause treatment. Look for a physician who:
- Focuses specifically on bioidentical hormone therapy for menopause and aging
- Takes time to listen and address all your symptoms and concerns
- Orders comprehensive hormone testing, not just estradiol
- Customizes treatment plans based on your hormone test results and health history
- Uses bioidentical hormones, not synthetic hormones
- Follows up regularly to see how you're responding and adjusts as needed
At Hormone Harmony, our menopause specialists take a patient-centered approach and tailor bioidentical hormone therapy to your unique needs for balanced, optimal hormonal health.
Hormone Harmony Menopause Treatment Protocol
At Hormone Harmony, we follow proven protocols developed from extensive experience successfully treating thousands of women with menopause. Here is an overview of our general process:
Initial Consultation
Your first visit will be a comprehensive consultation with one of our menopause specialists. Be prepared to:
- Discuss your symptoms, medical history, and goals for treatment
- Have a pelvic exam for women's health evaluation
- Review the risks and benefits of hormone therapy
- Get recommendations for initial testing
By the end of your consultation, you'll have a clear understanding of your treatment options and next steps.
Testing Hormone Levels
Based on your symptoms and exam, your doctor will determine which hormone tests are needed. Testing may include:
- FSH, estradiol - Confirms menopause
- Testosterone, DHEA - Checks key androgens
- Thyroid panel - Screens for thyroid dysfunction
- Vitamin D, nutrients - Identifies any deficiencies
Testing provides an objective measurement of your hormone levels to guide proper treatment.
Follow Up to Review Results
During your follow up visit, your Hormone Harmony doctor will go over your test results with you in depth. They will explain what the numbers mean and how they correlate to your symptoms.
Together, you will decide on an individualized hormone therapy plan to restore optimal hormone balance.
Initiate Bioidentical HRT
Many women feel better soon after starting hormone replacement therapy:
- For hot flashes, we often start low dose transdermal estradiol
- Vaginal estrogen creams can quickly relieve dryness during intimacy
- Testosterone therapy may be initiated to improve energy and sex drive
- Thyroid medication can be prescribed if levels are low
Follow up visits are scheduled to monitor your response and adjust therapy as needed to reach your treatment goals.
Pros and Cons of Common Hormone Therapies
There are several delivery methods and types of bioidentical hormones that may be used. Here is an overview of some of the pros and cons:
Progesterone Therapy
- Progesterone capsules - Oral capsules like Prometrium provide progesterone to balance estrogen effects on the uterus. Pros: Convenient oral dosing. Cons: Sedating side effects.
- Progesterone cream - Applied topically to skin, creams provide steady progesterone levels. Pros: Avoid sedation from oral capsules. Cons: Difficult to achieve optimal levels.
Hormone Harmony doctors have expertise using all these methods to create custom regimens meeting your individual needs and preferences.
Interesting fact
Many women are unaware that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be an effective menopause treatment. CBT helps address troublesome menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, insomnia, and mood swings by teaching coping strategies like relaxation techniques, changing negative thought patterns, and making lifestyle changes. Research shows CBT significantly decreases menopause symptom severity and improves quality of life.
Lifestyle Recommendations for Menopause Treatment Success
To achieve the best results from your menopause treatment, we recommend incorporating these lifestyle habits:
- Balanced nutrition - Eat a nutritious diet emphasizing fruits/veggies, and limit sweets, refined carbs and alcohol
- Regular exercise - Aim for 150 minutes per week of moderate activity like walking, to help manage weight and mood
- Adequate sleep - Prioritize getting 7-8 hours nightly, maintain a consistent sleep/wake schedule
- Stress management - Practice relaxation techniques like meditation, yoga, deep breathing
- Healthy relationships - Surround yourself with supportive friends and family you can talk openly with
- Routine care - Have regular checkups for preventive care and screening
Optimizing your overall health and wellbeing helps hormone therapy work that much better. Our doctors can provide personalized recommendations on diet, exercise, and stress management tailored to your needs.
Why Hormone Harmony is the Top Choice for Menopause Treatment in Baldwin Park
When it comes to expert menopause treatment and caring for women in midlife and beyond, Hormone Harmony offers distinct advantages:
- Specialized expertise in hormonal health - Our practice is focused solely on optimizing hormone balance through bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. Our doctors specializing in menopause have advanced training and together have treated tens of thousands of patients.
- State-of-the-art Baldwin Park hormone clinic - Our beautiful Baldwin Park facility provides a comfortable, spa-like setting for your care. We offer onsite blood draws, body composition testing, customized compounding, and more.
- Personalized care and attention - You'll never feel rushed. Expect 30-60 minute consults, after-hours access to doctors, and staff who know you by name. We listen and take as much time as you need.
- Convenient Baldwin Park location - Our hormone clinic is located right in the heart of Baldwin Park off the 10 freeway, with plenty of free parking.
- Comprehensive treatment plans - In addition to hormone therapy, we develop holistic plans encompassing nutrition, supplements, stress management and more for optimal health during menopause and beyond.
Hormone Harmony has supported thousands of Baldwin Park area women through menopause treatment. Our goal is helping you thrive - not just survive - menopause.
