You may be familiar with hormone replacement therapy for postmenopausal women, but did you know this isn’t the only use for replacement? Today, we offer hormone replacement therapy with a variety of innovative treatment administration methods to address a range of health concerns for both men and women.
As you might guess based on the name, hormone replacement therapy is a treatment that replaces hormones when the body, for any reason, fails to produce them at adequate levels. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can be used to replace most types of hormones, but progesterone, testosterone, and estrogen therapy are the most common. Patients can receive HRT in a variety of application methods, including pills, creams, troches, gels, injections, and pellets.
HRT is used to treat symptoms of hormonal imbalance, including:
Most patients may qualify for hormone replacement therapy. During your evaluation, our medical providers will review your symptoms and entire hormone blood panel to determine your individual needs. Certain patients may not qualify, including those who have active breast, cervical, uterine, or prostate cancer. Post-cancer patients may require a medical release from their oncologist, internist, or family doctor. We will carefully consider patients who have active heart disease, history of stroke, blood clots to determine individual benefit vs risk.
HRT is most often thought of in relation to postmenopausal women, but it can actually be used to treat both men and women.
Hormone replacement therapy for men is typically recommended when low testosterone leads to diminished libido or fatigue. Men may also experience depression, lack of motivation, joint pain, and hair loss as a result of low testosterone.
Hormone replacement therapy for women may be recommended for a variety of reasons. HRT is often used to manage symptoms of perimenopause, menopause, and polycystic ovarian syndrome. Additionally, women may receive HRT for mood swings, fatigue, difficulty losing weight in their midsection, mood changes, sleep difficulties, and diminished libido.
At U.S. Dermatology Partners, we provide a range of HRT services, including:
Bioidentical hormones are exact replicas (identical) to the hormones your own body produces. These hormones are created in a lab, like synthetic hormones, but bioidentical hormones are specifically created for your body to exactly match the natural hormones at a molecular level.
Benefits of bioidentical hormones compared with synthetic options include:
Maintaining a healthy weight can be difficult if hormone production is off. We offer hormone therapy that helps the body produce or replace hormones that aid in thyroid and metabolic function. By triggering the production of weight loss hormones, patients who are eating healthy and exercising regularly are better able to lose weight and maintain their healthy weight.
Benefits of hormone replacement therapy for weight loss include:
Our medical providers will evaluate individual needs and your weight loss management may include the aid of an appetite suppressant if the patient qualifies medically.
Low testosterone levels have numerous negative effects, including diminished sex drive, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, loss of muscle mass, hair loss, as well as cognitive and emotional changes. Testosterone replacement therapy can help improve overall health and vitality, renew sex drive, and otherwise reverse the negative effects of low testosterone. For men who have been tested to ensure low testosterone is the cause, testosterone replacement therapy offers numerous benefits, including:
Our medical providers will determine individual needs based on symptoms and lab review. We can treat low testosterone with injections, pellets, or cream.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a disordered hormone condition that occurs during a woman’s reproductive years. In the past, medical professionals used birth control to address ovarian cysts without fully understanding or treating the hormonal imbalance in other bodily systems that could cause numerous health concerns like weight gain, menstrual cycle irregularity, infertility, acne, mental health struggles, and more.
Benefits of hormone replacement therapy for individuals diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome include:
Each patient will respond differently to HRT, but some of the many short and long term benefits reported by our patients include:
In years past, hormone replacement using synthetic hormones was linked to a range of health concerns. Early research indicates that bioidentical hormone replacement and other modern hormone replacement therapy options are significantly safer. Still, individuals who choose to move forward with HRT may experience some common, mild side effects, including:
In addition to these common side effects, HRT may put patients at a higher risk of developing more serious health issues, such as:
The odds of developing these health risks or experiencing side effects will vary depending on the age and gender of the patient, type of hormone therapy, and personal and familial health history. It’s essential to discuss your treatment options with your medical provider to ensure HRT is a safe and effective solution for your needs.
*Results may vary by individual
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