Your body relies on hormones for optimal function, but when certain hormones levels are low, you can experience a wide range of side effects, from weight gain to a decline in sexual health.
To restore hormonal order, our team here at Advanced Surgeons offers bioidentical hormone replacement therapy(BHRT), which has helped scores of our patients to improve their health and wellness.
Here, we explore the effects that hormonal imbalances can have on both men and women and how BHRT can help.
Hormone imbalances in women
The reproductive hormones in women — namely estrogen and progesterone — cast a wide net over their overall health. While these hormones are largely responsible for reproductive duties, they also play a role in the health of your bones, soft tissues, blood vessels, and even your brain.
Women go through significant fluctuations in hormones throughout their lives as they go through menstrual cycles, pregnancy, and then menopause. Often, it’s this final event that creates the biggest hormone imbalance, as the passage through menopause occurs when your hormone-producing ovaries shut down.
As a result, women can experience a wide range of side effects that include:
- Hot flashes and night sweats
- Weight gain
- Bone loss
- Fatigue
- Vaginal dryness
To combat these unwelcome changes, many women turn to hormone replacement therapy. This practice is so effective that The North American Menopause Society calls hormone replacement therapy the most effective treatment for menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness.
Hormonal imbalances in men
Just as reproductive hormones in women cast a wide net, so do the reproductive hormones in men, namely testosterone.
Starting in your late 20s or 30s, your production of testosterone naturally declines by about 1% a year. Over time, this deficit can add up and lead to testosterone deficiency (TD).
To put some numbers to the problem, the Urology Care Foundation reports that up to half of men over age 80 may have TD.
TD can lead to a number of different issues, such as:
- Weight gain
- Loss of muscle mass
- Fatigue
- Loss of sexual drive
- Decline in sexual function
As with the women, we can restore your hormone levels to offset these side effects through hormone replacement therapy.
The Biote® solution for better hormonal health
At our practice, we offer an innovative hormone replacement solution with Biote bioidentical hormone pellets. The hormones are plant-based, but molecularly identical to natural testosterone and estrogen.
To deliver these hormones, we implant pellets just under your skin that slowly release the bioidentical hormones into your system. These pellets last for about 3-6 months, at which point you can return for a new set of Biote pellets.
If you’d like to learn more about how Biote bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can improve your health and wellness, please contact one of our offices in Valhalla, Carmel, or Poughkeepsie, New York, to schedule a consultation.
