Your sex hormones play a critical role in just about every bodily function. They communicate with every cell in your body and, among other functions, ensure homeostasis is maintained. These hormones also play an important role in such functions as appetite, metabolism, libido and mood. It is no wonder why bioidentical hormone therapy is so important to so many adults. At Optimal Health and Wellness in Pasadena, CA, we pride ourselves in helping our clients live happy, healthy lives with the help of safe, natural, effective treatments.
13 Signs You Should Consider Bioidentical Hormone Therapy Now
1. You Can’t Sleep
If you suffer from insomnia, now may be the right time for you to consider bioidentical hormone therapy. Men and women alike need adequate levels of testosterone in their bloodstream to prevent irregularity in sleep patterns. Unfortunately, the most important step in good sleep hygiene is sticking to a regular sleep schedule.
Moreover, imbalanced hormone levels can cause other symptoms that cause insomnia. One of the most common is excessive nighttime urination. If you wake up to use the restroom more than once per night, you may need natural hormone replacement therapy.
2. You’re Gaining Abdominal Weight
There’s a reason weight gain is considered a normal part of aging. Testosterone is critical in appetite and metabolism regulation. When your body doesn’t produce enough testosterone, leptin levels drop. Simultaneously, ghrelin levels rise. Leptin is the hunger hormone that tells your body it doesn’t need any more fuel. Contrastingly, ghrelin tells your body that it needs to fuel up immediately.
More importantly, when your body isn’t producing enough testosterone, several things happen at once that lead to abdominal weight gain. First, your metabolism slows. Second, low levels of testosterone result in your body storing excess fat predominately around the abdomen. Abdominal fat, or visceral fat, is a leading indicator of future health problems.
3. Your Libido Is Low
There are several reasons your libido may be low. For instance, some women lose interest in sex because they know it will be uncomfortable or painful. When their sex hormones are low, vaginal dryness can be so uncomfortable that they can’t want sex.
Similarly, men with low testosterone struggle to achieve or maintain a full erection. These physical symptoms of imbalanced hormones can lead to the psychological inability to want sex.
4. You Can’t Hold a Conversation
Insomnia leads to chronic sleep deprivation. Chronic sleep deprivation causes several side effects, including a decline in cognitive function. Signs your mental acuity is weakening include the inability to remember words you use regularly, forgetting where you put your keys and forgetting important dates (like your birthday) that you have known for decades.
The inability to hold a conversation because you can’t find the words needed to communicate is not a normal part of the aging process. If you’re struggling to communicate, call Optimal Health and Wellness in Pasadena, CA today. A quick, accurate diagnosis is important to ensure you’re not suffering from a debilitating neurological condition, like Alzheimer’s disease.
5. You Can’t Control Your Emotions
If you suffer from mood swings, now may be the time to consider bioidentical hormone therapy. Testosterone plays a critical role in regulating your emotions. In fact, one of the most common signs of low testosterone is uncontrollable rage and irritability over inconsequential things.
Other signs of low testosterone include crying when you’re not sad and feeling sad when you shouldn’t. Low testosterone may also cause serious mood disorders, such as major depression and generalized anxiety disorder.
6. You Experience Night Sweats and Hot Flashes
Another critical role performed by your sex hormones is the regulation of body temperature. If you suffer from hot flashes or night sweats, there is an excellent chance now is the time to consider natural hormone replacement therapy. Hot flashes can make even being in an air-conditioned room feel uncomfortable. It can make exercise during the spring and summer feel impossible.
Arguably, night sweats are even worse than hot flashes. They can keep you from falling asleep. They can prevent you from entering REM sleep. Worst of all, they can wake you up several times throughout the night even if you’re in REM sleep.
7. You Have Skin Problems
Many people are shocked to learn that bioidentical hormone therapy can treat several skin conditions. For instance, natural hormone therapy can treat severe atopic dermatitis because it thickens the skin barrier. This traps moisture inside your skin. It also protects the deeper layers of your skin from irritants, such as allergens and pollutants.
8. You’re a Female in Your 30s
Around the age of 30, women start to produce less progesterone. By 35, they are also producing less estrogen. Finally, by the age of 40, testosterone production starts to drop steadily. If you’re starting to show signs of imbalanced hormones, such as mood swings or unexplained weight gain, you may benefit from a low dose of natural hormone replacement therapy.
9. You’re a Male in Your 40s
By the age of 30, men start to produce testosterone at a rate of 1% lower per year. By the age of 40, your body may be producing testosterone at a rate of 14.5% to 16.5% slower than in your 20s. Even if you’re not experiencing hot flashes, low libido or other symptoms of low-T yet, you should come in for a diagnostic test.
10. You’re Going Through Pre-Menopause or Menopause
It’s difficult to pinpoint when you are going through pre-menopause. Pre-menopause refers to the 12 months leading up to your last menstrual cycle. However, it is impossible to know definitively until you are done cycling when that period is.
During your initial consultation, we will consider your age, health, history of menstrual cycling and family history. This will help us determine if now is when you should consider natural hormone replacement therapy.
11. You Have a Family History of Osteoporosis
If you have a family history of osteoporosis, you have a high risk of developing the condition yourself. If you’re in your 40s and show early signs of developing this condition, you need to consider natural hormone replacement therapy. Your sex hormones are crucial for bone mineral density.
The risk of developing osteoporosis is not something to take lightly. Having weak, brittle bones puts you at a higher risk of bones breaking after a fall than someone with dense bones. Even worse, low testosterone causes muscle loss. Weak muscles mean a higher risk of losing balance and falling.
12. You’re Getting Weaker
Do you feel like you’re not as strong as you used to be? Has your activity level remained relatively constant? You may be losing muscle mass and strength due to low testosterone. As mentioned previously, this increases your risk of falling. It also means you may lose your autonomy sooner than you may expect. For instance, people often forget that the bowel and bladder are muscles.
Bowel and bladder incontinence are signs of low testosterone and may take away your feeling of independence. Moreover, aging people often find they lose grip strength due to weakening hand and forearm muscles. Who wants to ask their partner for help to open a jar? If you don’t, now may be the time to ask about natural hormone replacement therapy.
13. You Have Had an Oophorectomy
Without a doubt, if you have had an oophorectomy, now is the time to consider natural hormone replacement therapy. Usually, women who have had both their ovaries and uterus removed only require estrogen replacement therapy. However, when only the ovaries are removed, women may benefit from either estrogen replacement therapy or estrogen and progestin replacement therapy.
Which Bioidentical Hormone Therapy Method Is Right for Me?
Implanted Pellets
Implanted pellets are the most popular form of natural hormone replacement therapy for men suffering from low testosterone levels. Our clients love this delivery system because it provides a constant low dose of testosterone for up to six months. If you travel a lot and don’t feel confident you can keep your scheduled appointments for injections, this may be the ideal delivery system for you.
Injections
Injections are another popular delivery system for men diagnosed with low testosterone. These injections are usually administered into the gluteal muscles of the buttocks. However, if you are uncomfortable with this, you may receive the injection in your thigh. There are several benefits associated with this treatment.
First, it passes your digestive tract so you receive the full benefits of treatment and it works faster. Second, you don’t need to remember to take a pill every day. Simply come in for a shot every two to four weeks. While you’re here, you can let us know if the treatment isn’t working as well as you think it should. We will test the levels of testosterone in your blood and adjust your dose as necessary.
Patches
Some of our clients like patches because they work quickly and are easy to apply. However, if you have pets or children, it is important that they know not to touch the region of your skin that you place the patch on. Similarly, if you have a partner who does your laundry, let him or her know that the bioidentical hormones can transfer from your clothing to his or her skin.
Gels
Our female clients love natural hormone replacement therapy delivered via estradiol gel. This cool, discreet gel must be applied daily to a small region of the upper thigh. However, the application is easy and the results are rapid. In fact, relief can be experienced in as little as two weeks after starting treatment.
This treatment can be prescribed at low doses, making it ideal for women who are just starting perimenopause. Research has shown that percutaneous estradiol gel is just as effective as oral estradiol at bringing the metabolic rate back up to normal levels. More importantly, it is effective for the maintenance or improvement of bone mineral density.
Creams or Ointments
Creams or ointments are typically recommended for women who are only experiencing vaginal symptoms of peri-menopause, menopause or post-menopause. For instance, this hormone replacement therapy delivery system can address vaginal dryness and pain or discomfort during sex.
In turn, this may reverse libido loss. However, we don’t typically recommend this method for women who suffer from other symptoms, such as memory loss or mood swings.
Schedule Your Initial Consultation Today
Do you wish sex was more enjoyable? Do you feel like you don’t initiate sex enough? Do you feel unbearably hot while in an air-conditioned room? If this sounds familiar, now may be the time for you to consider bioidentical hormone therapy.
To determine definitively if this is the right treatment for you, we strongly urge you to contact us at Optimal Health and Wellness in Pasadena, CA today to schedule your initial consultation.
