What is hormone replacement therapy?
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a way to balance your body’s natural hormones by introducing bioidentical or synthetic hormones into your system. Your hormones play major roles inside your body, driving many important processes like growth and development, your sleep cycle, menstruation, and metabolism. When your body doesn’t produce enough of a specific hormone, a range of symptoms can occur that you might not initially link to a hormone imbalance. Sometimes blood test are used to confirm the imbalance and help our providers plan your treatment. There are several different ways you can take hormones, including patches, pellets, and injections. Our providers manage your treatment with frequent follow-ups to ensure your hormone replacement therapy improves your symptoms.
How can hormone replacement therapy benefit women?
Women tend to benefit from hormone replacement therapy as a way to treat the hormone fluctuations that happen as they approach menopause. Menopause, which typically happens in your 40s or 50s, is the time when your menstrual cycle officially comes to an end. Your ovaries slow and eventually stop the production of the hormones estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Hormone replacement therapy with estrogen can treat menopause symptoms like:
Fatigue
Hot flashes
Insomnia
Mood swings
Weight gain
Memory problems
Night sweats
Aches and pains
Vaginal dryness
Not every menopausal woman experiences severe enough symptoms to warrant intervention, but hormone replacement therapy can improve many unpleasant and uncomfortable symptoms.
How does hormone replacement therapy benefit men?
Men don’t go through menopause but can similarly experience hormone imbalances, many of which are age-related. Men who experience symptoms of low testosterone can benefit from hormone replacement therapy with testosterone, the hormone that drives male sexual development, muscle growth, and body hair growth. Testosterone replacement therapy improves symptoms like:
Erectile dysfunction
Loss of muscle mass
Irritability
Depression
Low sex drive
Fatigue
Besides aging, you can experience low testosterone because of testicular injury or loss, certain medications, or high body fat. Since symptoms of low testosterone can have other causes, too, we explore every possible avenue before prescribing hormone replacement therapy. To learn more about hormone replacement therapy and find out if it can benefit you, call Discreet Wellness & Sexual Health, or schedule an appointment online today.
