Hormone Replacement Therapy

Why Are Hormones Important for Men and Women?

You might be surprised at how important hormone replacement therapy might be for your health. Hormones play a vital role in regulating and controlling most vital bodily functions, making them essential for both men and women. However, as we age, our hormone levels can decline and become imbalanced due to stress, toxins, medications, illness, and disease, among other factors. Even the smallest hormonal imbalance can cause unpleasant symptoms or side effects throughout the body, which can negatively impact daily activities and quality of life.

What Are the Symptoms of Low Testosterone or “Low T” and Hormonal Imbalance in Men?

• Decreased sex drive or libido
• Fatigue / decreased energy
• Loss of muscle mass
• Increased body fat (waist area)
• Weight gain / difficulty losing weight
• Joint discomfort / muscle aches
• Mood changes irritability
• Low or depressive mood
• No motivation
• Anxiousness
• Stress decreased ability to handle stressors
• Brain fog / poor memory
• Decreased focus / difficulty concentrating
• Trouble sleeping
• Decreased morning erections
• Decreased sexual performance

What Are the Symptoms of Hormonal Imbalance in Women?

• Fatigue / decreased energy
• No motivation
• Night sweats / body sweats
• Hot flashes or flushes
• Hair loss
• Weight gain / difficulty losing weight
• Trouble sleeping
• Brain fog / forgetfulness
• Decreased focus / difficulty concentrating
• Stress decreased ability to handle stressors
• Anxiousness
• Mood swings irritability
• Low mood
• Joint discomfort / body aches
• Leaky bladder
• Headaches
• Decreased sex drive / no libido
• Vaginal dryness
• Painful intercourse
• Orgasm difficulty
• Cold intolerance

What Is Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)?

HRT uses hormones to balance levels of testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, and thyroid. However, not all forms of hormone replacement therapy are created equally. Some creams, patches, or injections may be synthetic or even harmful, resulting in all hormones being labeled “bad” or “dangerous.” Often, these inconvenient delivery methods provide inconsistent absorption and suboptimal levels, making symptom relief difficult to achieve.

What Is Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT)?

BHRT helps restore low or unbalanced hormone levels using safe, natural bioidentical hormones that are plant-based and biologically identical to hormones produced and already present in the human body. Bioidentical hormones contain none of the unsafe and harmful compounds you may have heard about or been warned about by your doctor. Bioidentical hormones are a safe and effective form of hormones. When using hormones in any form, only bioidentical hormones should be used, never synthetic hormones that may be harmful.

Bioidentical hormone replacement pellets are small, rice-sized pellets that are placed under the skin and release a specific measured amount of hormones over several months. Pellets are the only form of testosterone or estrogen hormone replacement therapy considered to be long-term and maintain their effectiveness twenty-four hours a day for several months.

Synthetic hormones, primarily used in oral and injectable therapies, have several different side effects. Weight gain, mood swings, and general irritation are typical, which is unfortunate because that’s what HRT is supposed to solve

Pellet therapy is fast and easy and requires very few visits during the year for its application. It can last ten times longer than patches. This gives you peace of mind to know that you will get your hormone replacement consistently without having to worry about it.

And that consistency is critical. Because each pellet is compounded for a specific person, it releases the ideal amount of hormones consistently. Unlike other therapies, you don’t have highs and lows, which can lead to mood swings and increased risk of heart and liver problems.

BHRT pellets contain very few side effects or drawbacks – only two minor ones.

First, because BHRT pellets last so long, people tend to forget they are there. Missing an appointment for receiving the next pellet is a possibility.

And secondly, some people find the skin over the pellets gets itchy. Frequently, an OTC moisturizing cream relieves the problem, with a few people having a persistent irritation.

Fortunately, these are the worst of the side effects. Pellet therapy is safe and effective. Because of the consistency, it helps minimize any weight gain. In most patients, they don’t experience any weight gain – quite the opposite; they lose weight as they become more energetic.

Procedure:

When you choose pellet therapy as your form of BHRT delivery, your provider will make a small incision in your skin after its numbed and place a pellet directly under your skin. Usually, they insert the pellet in your hip or upper buttock. The procedure is quick and relatively painless. It takes about 15 minutes. Recovery from pellet insertion is generally very short. You can expect some tenderness at the treatment site, but lightly icing the area in 20-minute intervals is usually enough to calm any discomfort. Most patients return to normal daily activities within one week of insertion.

After the pellet is inserted into the skin, it could take up to a week or two, to relieve symptoms. A pellet will last for 3-6 months and then will completely dissolve and be absorbed by your body.

At VIVAA, we understand the importance of optimal hormone levels for healthy aging and disease prevention. Our experienced providers specialize in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), a safe and effective form of hormone therapy that uses natural bioidentical hormones to restore your body’s optimal hormone levels. Contact us today to learn more about our approach to addressing the root cause of your health problems and how we can help you achieve your desired quality of life.

What to expect:

Once you have an appointment scheduled with one of our providers, you will be sent forms to fill in so we can review your detailed medical history prior to the appointment. The physician will review all your symptoms and discuss all the concerns. If the symptoms are suggestive of hormonal imbalance, you will be asked to do array of blood work  and lab orders will be provided. The laboratory results will be reviewed by the physician in person and at that time a full plan will be developed if you would like to proceed with hormone replacement. The pellets are the best way to proceed and we will be able to do the first pellet insertion on the same day. We will follow up with you in 2 weeks and at that time depending on the symptoms improvement we might have you do blood work again if needed. We will continue to follow up with you on the progress and make sure we are there to answer any questions that may arise.

Does the above interest you? If so, contact VIVAA at 425-250-9999 and schedule a hormone replacement therapy consultation with Dr. Kaur to find out more about bioidentical hormone therapy and how it can enhance your life.