BIOIDENTICAL HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy is the replacement of male and female hormones which the human body has made naturally until sometime in middle age when it begins to fail. In women, this stage of life is known as menopause and in men as andropause. In contrast to synthetic hormone replacement therapy which is what most primary care physicians prescribe in pill or patch form, bioidentical estradiol replacement therapy to date has shown no increase incidence of cancer with use up to 10 years. In fact, published research in the last five years suggests that bioidentical estradiol may in fact lessen the possibility of breast cancers. While further studies need to be done before this concept can be stated as fact, preliminary results are encouraging.

In contrast to most synthetic estrogens such as premarin, bioidential estrogen is NOT created from horse urine and bioidentical hormones in general are not derived from animal tissues or fluids.

Symptoms of female hormone imbalances include: mood changes and irritability, tension, memory loss, decreased sex drive, bloating, weight gain, breast tenderness, depression, vaginal dryness, hot flashes, night sweats, joint pain, migraine headaches, fatigue, poor sleep, and even mental confusion. Traditional hormone replacement therapies often default to trial and error attempts at balancing hormones leaving you with symptoms you really don’t want.

In men, symptoms of testosterone deficiency often manifest with a general decline in their sense of well being, joint pain, muscle aches, excessive sweating, irritability, anxiety, physical exhaustion, decrease in muscle strength, decrease in beard growth, poor erections, lack of sexual desire, poor motivation, and depression.

It doesn’t have to be this way however.

With the addition of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, especially in the form of pellets, most men and women often feel much more in control of their bodies and lives with better sleep, restored interest in sex for both men and women, better erections for men, greater mental clarity, a feeling of being more relaxed and calm, and better muscle gains with exercise. For many, this is the first time in years they’ve even felt like exercising. Additionally, we’ve often seen fibromyalgia pain diminish dramatically.

For new patients requesting pellet therapy who desire to have an implant on the same day of the office visit labs obtained in advance of the visit are required to confirm the need for HRT. Hormone replacement therapy will be performed only when all pertinent medical records and recent test results have been reviewed and a recent physical exam has been performed.

For women: Includes a mammogram and pap smear result and bi-manual exam performed within the previous 2 years

For men: Includes a psa ( along with other tests) and a prostate exam within the previous 12 months.