What are the signs that you need hormone replacement therapy?
When I see patients for a hormone consultation they generally present with a variety of symptoms related to declining hormone levels. Peri menopause can occur as early as 40 and menopausal symptoms can unfortunately persist for decades! Vasomotor symptoms such as night sweats and hot flushes can be extremely debilitating and can persist for years. Hormone therapy will treat these symptoms by restoring levels back to their optimum. I have many women presenting with fatigue and poor sleep as well as depression and irritability. Menopause can have pretty detrimental effects on our mental health. Sometimes these symptoms are diagnosed as depression and women are incorrectly treated with antidepressants. By restoring hormone levels a lot of these negative symptoms can be reversed. Restorative sleep is so important and progesterone has been shown to really improve sleep in women with low levels.
What is hormone replacement therapy?
Generic hormone replacement therapy is synthetic – i.e processed in a lab. Here at MRC we use bioidentical hormones. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is derived from plants and yam. The bioidentical hormones are compounded and mimic the body’s natural hormones.
What are the hormone replacement side effects?
Bioidentical hormones are easily absorbed, safe and produce minimal side effects. They are usually micronised which means they are broken down easily by the body, therefore producing fewer side effects as compared to the synthetic hormones.
Does hormone replacement help with weight loss?
Many women state around menopause that they gain weight or struggle to lose weight. Is this due to declining hormone levels or changes in metabolism? Who knows! There is no evidence to suggest hormone replacement will help with weight loss however checking thyroid levels is important to rule out hypothyroidism.
Did you know our hormone levels fluctuate a lot during and after pregnancy and also during breastfeeding?
Many women describe vaginal dryness and loss of libido in the postpartum period. Urinary symptoms including incontinence are extremely common too due to the pressure exerted on the pelvis during pregnancy and a vaginal delivery can then disrupt the pelvic floor further. Pelvic floor physio is so important during and after pregnancy. Doing the wrong exercises can negatively impact the pelvic floor causing issues in years to come. Seeing an experienced women’s health physio is essential! Postpartum vaginal estrogen and treatment with Votiva in combination with pelvic floor physio can improve symptoms significantly. Votiva uses radiofrequency to tighten the vaginal wall. Results are instant!
Sexual dysfunction is common in the perimenopause and menopause too. Declining estrogen and progesterone levels play a huge part but low testosterone levels can also contribute. Replacement of all three of these hormones can greatly improve libido and vaginal dryness. Testosterone levels also decline in men as they age so testosterone treatment is often very beneficial for sexual dysfunction in men too!
Hormone deficiency often goes unrecognized and untreated. I have many women who describe hormone replacement as life changing! They only wish they had started it sooner. Book your hormone consult with me now.
Dr. Caroline Barclay at MRC specializes in hormone therapy and women’s health. She offers consultations to discuss symptoms you may be experiencing.
To contact the clinic call 604-763-7546 or e-mail us at info@mrcbc.ca or fill out this form.
