Do you feel unusually tired? Do you feel irritated regularly? Are you unintentionally gaining weight? These unpleasant symptoms are among the signs of inadequate hormone levels and can lead to serious health consequences. Today, our experts at Impressions Skin Solutions in Hendersonville, TN are discussing the signs that you need hormone replacement therapy.
What Are the Signs That You Need Hormone Replacement Therapy?
Hormone replacement therapy, sometimes referred to as HRT, is a great way to restore balance to your hormone levels. By restoring your hormone levels, you can improve your physical and mental wellbeing. As you age, your body starts to produce crucial sex hormones at a reduced rate.
The resulting hormonal imbalance can cause bone loss, mood swings and other issues. It is imperative that you schedule an initial consultation regarding hormone balance restoration if you are suffering from any of the following symptoms:
Bone Density Loss
Testosterone and estrogen are primary sex hormones that play crucial roles in keeping your bones strong, dense and healthy. When your body starts to produce reduced quantities of these crucial hormones, your risk of developing osteoporosis increases significantly. Osteoporosis is a condition that causes weak, brittle bones. This condition can result in bone fractures and other medical complications.
Mood Swings
Estrogen and testosterone also play crucial roles in stabilizing your mood. These hormones are responsible for the production of serotonin, an essential neurotransmitter. Frequently, people with inadequate levels of testosterone or estrogen don’t produce enough serotonin and develop major depressive disorder or another form of depression.
A lack of either of these sex hormones can also result in mood swings. These mood swings may result in extreme irritation when faced with a minor setback. Mood swings can negatively affect your interpersonal relationships.
Sleeping Problems
When you experience hormonal imbalance, you may find it difficult to fall asleep regardless of how tired you are. Furthermore, you may wake up frequently throughout the night.
Additionally, imbalanced sex hormones can cause sleep apnea, a condition characterized by breathing that stops and starts repeatedly throughout the night. Sleep apnea can lead to snoring and a number of other consequences.
Feeling Exhausted
Imbalanced sex hormones can also lead to chronic fatigue. Even if you sleep eight or more hours nightly, you may feel exhausted. Furthermore, you may be unable to enjoy hobbies you used to look forward to all the time, like swimming or cycling. Rather than working out and maintaining your health, you may feel the only thing you can manage is sitting back in your recliner and playing an offline video game.
Urinary Problems
Women often experience frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs) when their sex hormones become imbalanced. The less estrogen your body produces, the thinner the urethra lining and vaginal walls become. These changes to the physical structure of the body can lead to more frequent UTIs and stress urinary incontinence.
Memory Problems
Imbalanced sex hormones can also result in a decline in your cognitive abilities, such as difficulty forming short-term memories, trouble concentrating and difficulty recalling long-term memories. For instance, you may need to reread the same sentence several times if you are trying to read a book or you may miss key points in a movie.
Furthermore, your ability to complete work accurately may become a challenge. If you make mistakes at work regularly or find it difficult to meet deadlines, you may benefit greatly from HRT.
Unintended Weight Gain
Imbalanced sex hormones can also lead to unintended weight gain. Maintaining your weight may even be a struggle if you exercise regularly and eat a reasonably portioned, balanced diet. If you find that you can’t maintain your weight despite trying as hard as possible, a decrease in sex hormone levels could be responsible.
Irregular Periods
Women also experience menstrual issues when sex hormones are imbalanced. The lower your estrogen levels are, the more likely you are to experience severe cramps during menses and heavy bleeding. Furthermore, low estrogen may result in periods that last longer than a week. Long, heavy, painful periods may affect your ability to enjoy your hobbies.
Additionally, it is possible for your periods to become irregular when there isn’t enough estrogen in the body. For instance, your menstrual cycle may last over 35 days. In other words, instead of getting 12 periods per year, you may only get 11. If you are trying to conceive, hormone replacement therapy may improve your chances of becoming pregnant by restoring regularity to your menstrual cycle.
How Are Hormone Levels Improved?
Your hormone replacement therapy will be customized to respond to all of your unique needs.
Your Initial Consultation
Before HRT is provided, an initial consultation is required. During your initial consultation, we will discuss your symptoms, such as mood swings, chronic fatigue, sleep problems and weight gain. To prepare for this consultation, we strongly recommend that you keep a journal of when you experience your symptoms and how severe they are.
Moreover, you should be prepared to tell us about other hormone therapies you have received in the past and when your symptoms started. Additionally, we need to know about any allergies or other sensitivities you have.
Your Diagnosis
A physical examination and blood test will allow us to diagnose the hormonal problems you are suffering from. The blood draw is an extremely quick, easy, comfortable process.
You will feel the needle puncture your skin, but it is a lot more comfortable than a vaccine or other intramuscular shots. Analyzing the blood sample will tell us which hormones are present in insufficient quantities. Once we have a clear picture of the hormonal imbalances you have, your tailored therapy program will begin.
What Type of Hormone Replacement Is Right for Me?
The severity of your hormonal imbalance will play a factor in determining the type of hormone replacement you receive. Other factors that affect which replacement method you receive include your personal preferences and the type of symptoms you are experiencing. Bioidentical hormone pellets, patches, creams, nasal sprays or pills may be advised depending on your unique needs.
Bioidentical Hormone Pellets
Bioidentical hormone pellets are an ideal way to deliver HRT. This therapy is administered by implanting a slow-release hormone pellet beneath your skin. The implantation process is quick and comfortable. Once in place, the implanted pellet releases a steady stream of hormones for months at a time. You will sleep better and feel better as the symptoms of hormonal imbalance you were experiencing fade until they disappear completely.
This method is recommended for people with several severe symptoms. It is also recommended for people with a hectic schedule who don’t feel confident they can stick to a regular schedule of administering the hormone therapy daily.
Injections
Injections are another good option if you don’t feel comfortable self-administering your hormone therapy on a regular basis. If you opt for injections, you will only need to come in for treatment once every two to four weeks.
These injections are quick and painless, so they won’t disrupt your daily routine significantly. This method is also recommended for people with severe symptoms.
Patches
Patches may also be used to reverse the symptoms of hormone deficiency. Patches are usually applied to the skin once daily. For optimal results, it is advisable to apply the hormone patch to different regions of your body every day. This method allows for a non-invasive steady dose of rapid-release hormones.
Identify Your Hormonal Issues Today
If you are experiencing unintended weight gain, sleep issues, mood swings or other symptoms of imbalanced sex hormones, hormone replacement therapy can improve your quality of life significantly.
Contact us today at Impressions Skin Solutions in Hendersonville, TN to schedule your initial consultation and receive a quick, accurate diagnosis and a tailored treatment plan to get your life back on track. We look forward to restoring balance to your hormones and life.