As you age or your body goes through other changes, you can start to experience the effects of imbalanced hormones. If you are noticing a lower sex drive, fatigue, difficulty losing weight, insomnia, and more, you may be a good candidate for our bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT or HRT) at Proper Eu Medical & Aesthetics Center.
What Is Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy?
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is the process of giving you hormones based on what your body is lacking. Bioidentical means that the hormones are chemically identical to the hormones that you already have in your body. These hormones can be administered using patches, gels, pills, and more. At our practice, we use implanted pellets.
HRT for Women
While menopause can be welcome for many women, the symptoms that come along with it are anything but welcome. Many people simply accept these symptoms as an unavoidable part of menopause, but we believe that the process can and should be made much more comfortable. We want you to go into menopause feeling better than ever with an increased sex drive, stable moods, quality sleep, and enough energy and motivation to get through each day with ease.
Many younger women can also suffer from the effects of imbalanced hormones. Many things can cause your hormones to be out of balance such as pregnancy and childbirth, stress, medication, and more.
HRT for Men
As men age, they can experience changes in their levels of testosterone. Testosterone levels begin to decline in most men after the age of 40 and this can begin to cause symptoms. Many of these symptoms include mood changes, erectile dysfunction, low libido, and chronic fatigue.
As with women, men can also experience an imbalance of hormones from causes other than age. Regardless of what age you are, if you are experiencing symptoms that may be related to your hormones, you can contact us to learn more about HRT therapy for men.
What Are the Benefits of HRT?
Enhanced Sexual Wellness
Sex drive can often decrease with age which can make it more difficult to connect with your partner. In women, hormonal changes can also make sex more painful because of vaginal dryness. Hormonal changes can also cause men to have a difficult time getting or sustaining an erection. HRT can help to improve sexual wellness in both men and women.
Reduced Fatique and Raises Energy Levels
If you feel tired all the time and you wish that you had the same energy that people around you seem to have, your hormones may be the culprit. Unbalanced hormones are a common factor in chronic fatigue and low energy. With BHRT, we can help alleviate fatigue and make you more energetic and motivated.
Increased Skin Health
HRT can noticeably improve the texture, elasticity, and appearance of the skin. Many people undergoing HRT report having skin that is thicker and healthier with fewer wrinkles. This can happen because of an increase in the skin’s hydration levels plus an increase in the amount of collagen production and improvement in vascularization, or the growth of new blood vessels. While HRT can sometimes cause acne, it usually resolves as your body adjusts to the treatment.
Headache Treatment
Suffering from frequent headaches can have a major impact on your quality of life and productivity. Headaches can often come as a result of lower estrogen levels, particularly in women. HRT therapy can help to reduce headaches in some patients.
Improved Sleep
Individuals with imbalanced hormones often find themselves lying awake for hours or waking up more often in the night. If you suffer from insomnia, difficulty sleeping, or frequent wake-ups, your hormones may be to blame. Hormonal therapy can help improve sleep in many individuals.
What to Expect From Hormone Replacement Therapy
Consultation and Testing
Determining what your body needs is the first step in hormonal therapy. We will have a consultation with you to discuss all of your symptoms and get a picture of what sucessful treatment might look like. Next, we will perform comprehensive testing to determine what hormonal imbalances you may be experiencing. The main test is a blood panel that can help us to tell what is going on in your body.
Planning Your Treatment
Once we know what your body is lacking, we can begin to plan our treatment. Rather than using hormone pills, we prefer using hormone pellets. These pellets are placed into your body where they will release small and controlled amounts of hormones. This will eliminate the need to remember to take hormone pills every day and can be a much easier form of hormone therapy.
Your First Treatment Session
Hormone therapy pellets are very small and can be cylindrical or round in shape. The pellets are placed into the buttock area because this is the area that tends to have the most fatty tissue. During the treatment, we will cleanse the skin in the treatment area and then inject lidocaine. Once the area is numb, a small nick is made in the skin and a trocar is inserted to allow us to insert the pellet deeper into the fat layer. The pellets are then pushed through the trocar into the body and the small incision is covered with a bandage.
After Your Treatment
It can take a few days to begin to feel the effects of the treatment. During the first few days after treatment, you will want to treat your incision area with care. You should avoid soaking the incision area in water until it heals. Showers are okay, but avoid swimming or taking a bath. You can expect to need treatment every two to three months (for women) or everyfive to six months (for men).
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy in Grand Rapids, MI
HRT therapy for men and women can improve your health, give you a better sex drive, help you lose weight, and give you more energy. It can be a good way to ease your body into the transition of menopause or andropause, or to help balance hormones in individuals of any age. If you are interested in learning more about our bioidentical hormone replacement therapy we would love to hear from you. At Proper Eu Medical & Aesthetics Center, we are a locally owned practice that is dedicated to providing the best treatments for our patients in Grand Rapids. Book an appointment online or call 616-327-5155 for more information.
