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How does BHRT Help with hormone imbalance? Read more below.
Your hormones are chemicals produced by the endocrine system that travels through your bloodstream and send messages to your tissues and organs. It is crucial to keep your hormones in check so all your bodily functions run smoothly. If well balanced, they regulate important functions of your body such as appetite, sexual functions, heart rate, metabolism, sleep cycles, growth, development, and much more.
Your hormones can fluctuate during pregnancy, childbirth, and puberty. If your hormones are even slightly out of balance, they can negatively impact all essential functions of your body including health and lifestyle.
Common Causes of Hormone Imbalance
Hormonal imbalances can occur in anyone regardless of age and gender. However, it is common for women to experience hormonal imbalance during menopause or just before they hit menopause. Men typically experience these imbalances in older age. For women, estrogen and progesterone are low hormones and for men, testosterone is the one.
Apart from age, other factors that lead to this hormonal imbalance include stress, diabetes, underactive thyroid, overactive thyroid, obesity, chemotherapy, and diet.
Symptoms of Hormone Imbalance
The symptoms of hormonal imbalance vary in men and women. Let’s have a look at each one of them.
Common symptoms in women include heavy/irregular periods, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, weight gain, thinning hair or hair loss, dry skin, unwanted hair growth on the face and body, mood changes, and loss of interest in sex.
Common symptoms of hormonal imbalance in men include low sperm count, reduced sex drive, erectile dysfunction, reduced muscle mass, increased growth of breast tissue, and reduced body hair growth.
What is BHRT?
Multiple treatments are used to balance out the hormones in men and women. Doctors usually recommend changing the lifestyle and diet habits in combination with hormone replacement therapy. The most common type of hormone replacement therapies are; bioidentical hormone replacement therapy aka BHRT and synthetic hormone replacement therapy aka HRT.
Bioidentical hormones are made of plant-based estrogens that are similar to the ones that our bodies produce naturally. A lot of doctors prefer this over other treatments because of the natural quality. On the other hand, synthetic hormones are derived from the urine of pregnant horses. Bioidentical ones are a good option for people who are unable to take synthetic hormones.
Bioidentical hormones come in various forms such as pills, creams, patches, gels, and injections.
Benefits of BHRT
BHRT is usually used for women whose hormone levels drop significantly (primarily in women who are dealing with perimenopause and menopause). It increases the hormone levels and improves moderate to severe symptoms of menopause such as night sweats, hot flashes, mood changes, weight gain, sleep problems, memory loss, sleep issues, and loss of interest in sex or painful during sex.
Apart from that, BHRT also reduces the risk of diabetes, cataracts, and tooth loss. It also improves skin thickness, elasticity, hydration, and minimizes wrinkles. BHRT has proven to be beneficial in improving the general well-being and health of individuals who have battled cancer in the past and are dealing with low estrogen levels. BHRT can also help migraines, low libido, incontinence, and insomnia.
BHRT Administration
There is no one right way to get BHRT as it comes in different forms including creams, injections, implanted pellets, patches, and gels. It is important to have a thorough discussion with your doctor regarding the best option for yourself. Your doctor will monitor you regularly to evaluate the response of your body. However, the FDA is against monitoring hormone levels with the help of blood and saliva tests as your hormones vary throughout the day.
FDA recommends starting with the lowest dose of hormone therapy and seeing results before proceeding further. Moreover, BHRT shouldn’t be used on a long term basis.
Are There Any Risks Associated with BHRT?
It is important to know that FDA has approved some preparation of bioidentical progesterone and estradiol, it hasn’t approved compounding bioidentical hormones. As per certain claims, bioidentical hormones are deemed safer than traditional HRT. This is mainly due to the fact that they have an identical structure to the hormones produced by our body. With that being said, these claims are not confirmed by large scale studies. Hence, FDA urges to exercise caution when it comes to compounding products.
Research shows that BHRT carries certain risks when not administered properly such as blood clots, stroke, heart disease, breast cancer, and stroke. Apart from these major side effects, you might experience other symptoms in the beginning (as your body adjusts to hormones) such as acne, bloating, weight gain, fatigue, mood swings, and increased facial hair in women.
A lot of people cannot take BHRT or any form of hormone replacement therapy due to plenty of the underlying diseases and medical history. It is important to thoroughly discuss the pros and cons with your doctor before deciding to go ahead with the BHRT or any other type of hormone replacement therapy.
How Can BHRT Help You?
BHRT can work wonders for both men and women dealing with hormonal imbalances. By balancing out the hormone levels, it reduces/eliminates all the problematic symptoms associated with menopause/perimenopause in women and helps with low testosterone for men. Apart from that, they can also reduce your risk of tooth loss, cataracts, enhance your skin quality and help you age well.
However, it is not suitable for every single person out there. Individuals with cancers and blood clots aren’t advised to undergo hormone therapy. BHRT comes in the forms of pills, pellets, creams, gels, shots, and patches. Doctors will monitor you closely to determine the best dose and time for taking hormones based on your condition and lifestyle.
In Conclusion
We hope you found this article helpful. For more information on BHRT, feel free to reach out to us and our team would love to assist and guide you further.