At the Medical Transformation Center in Louisville, KY, we know that when your hormones are off, every area of your life is affected. The good news is there’s a solution that is effective, simple, and accessible. We offer bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, or BHRT, to balance your hormones and allow you to live life freely. A common question for those seeking hormone replacement therapy, though, is how long it takes. The good news is: not long!
How Long Does Hormone Replacement Therapy Take?
Most people feel their first relief from symptoms within the first week of treatment. The biggest advantages start to take hold before the three-week mark. However, each person is different, and it’s always possible that your dose may need a bit of tweaking. Each of us responds uniquely, too, and your lifestyle habits can also affect how quickly you’ll feel the effects of treatment.
We can’t overemphasize the reality that healthy lifestyle habits work with your treatment and make it even more effective. A healthy lifestyle can also allow your treatment to work more quickly. We’ll evaluate your treatment and how well it’s working often in the initial weeks. After you start feeling good effects, you’ll just need to come in when your hormones wear off and you need another dose.
What Are the Benefits of Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy?
If you’re experiencing signs of a hormonal imbalance, you’ll be very pleased with the benefits you enjoy from this treatment. Hormones are crucial to all of human functioning, so when your hormones are “off” you notice physical, emotional, and mental symptoms. This means that treating the imbalance can likewise provide emotional, mental, and physical benefits.
Mental Benefits
As you age, you may have noticed an increase in what is commonly known as “brain fog.” You might find that you’re suddenly having trouble remembering things or that you can’t concentrate like you once could. Many people assume that this is a natural part of aging and attribute it to degenerative memory, but the good news is that it’s often a result of hormonal imbalance.
Once you start BHRT, you will find your mental fog and forgetfulness disappear. You’ll be able to think clearly and concentrate on work again, enjoying the kind of mental agility you had when younger. If you’re finding yourself forgetting simple things, like names, or have trouble thinking clearly, talk to us about the possibility that hormones could help.
Emotional Benefits
Do you feel like you’re on a roller coaster, emotionally? This is a common side effect of hormonal imbalance, and while it’s most closely associated with menopause, it is just as likely to affect men as they enter andropause. If you’re suffering from these symptoms, hormone replacement therapy will stabilize your hormones and your emotions with them. You’ll feel increased well-being without the constant highs and lows that typify an imbalance.
This can also have a positive effect on your relationships, too, as you’ll find yourself able to respond better to stressful situations and no longer worried about emotions overwhelming you.
Physical Benefits
The biggest physical effect of hormone imbalance is a lack of energy, for both men and women, and trouble keeping on muscle, which is usually most noticeable in men. If you find that you just don’t have the energy and stamina you used to, even to the point that you’re not interested in your favorite activities, this might not be “normal” aging. It might be an imbalance that can be easily corrected with BHRT.
An imbalance of this nature can also make it hard to lose weight, meaning that you don’t see much effect even from an excellent, healthy lifestyle. If you’re noticing that you don’t have energy, can’t keep on muscle, or that diet and exercise no longer seem as effective as they once were, hormone therapy could help.
FAQ About Hormone Therapy
What Is Hormone Replacement Therapy?
This therapy simply supplements the hormones that your body has lost due to the aging process. The goal is to get your body back into balance. You’re not putting anything unnatural into your body or “cheating” in any way: you’re just restoring the hormones you’ve lost so your body functions as it did naturally when you were younger.
What’s the Difference Between BHRT and HRT?
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy and hormone replacement therapy both work to balance the hormones, but they use different means to reach this goal. HRT uses synthetic hormones from both natural and “unnatural” sources. They mimic human hormones, but they don’t match them exactly.
Bioidentical hormones are identical chemical matches for the hormones that your body already produces. They come from plant sources and have no chemical tags added by drug companies to make them proprietary. Because of this, they aren’t associated with the same negative side effects that synthetic hormones can sometimes cause.
What Problems Does BHRT Treat?
Hormone imbalances can be tricky. Sometimes it’s hard to identify exactly what’s wrong. You just don’t feel right somehow, but you don’t know if it’s just your imagination at first. Eventually, you realize it’s not your imagination, but by that point, you have lived with these issues for so long that you now think of them as almost normal. Or, if not normal exactly, then at least an expected part of aging.
Some of the symptoms that BHRT can treat include:
- Brain fog
- Hair loss
- Bloating
- Lethargy
- Weight gain
- Hot flashes
- Chronic fatigue
- Emotional instability
- Low libido
- Insomnia
- Poor quality sleep
- Weight fluctuations
- Premature signs of aging
- Inability to gain lean muscle mass
These are just some of the things we can help with. Give us a call and set up an appointment so we can help you get on the road to better function.
How Does Treatment Work?
Treatment starts with a consultation where we discuss your symptoms and health history and take a blood sample. This blood sample will help us understand what hormones may be out of balance. Of course, it’s important to know that each person is different and levels that are “normal” for you might not be normal for someone else. A blood test just gives us a general baseline to proceed from, and we can adjust as we go along.
During the course of your treatment, you’ll keep track of how you feel and any changes you notice in your symptoms. This will allow us to find the best dosing for your specific needs. At any point along the way, you can ask us about any concern or question you have! BHRT can be administered in different ways, and the chosen method varies by patient. During your consultation, we will help you figure out the best method for your needs, lifestyle, and body.
What Will I Need to Do Besides Get Replacement Hormones?
The effectiveness of treatment depends not just on the hormones you replace but also on how you support your body and hormones by your lifestyle. If you’re not already eating a healthy diet, managing stress, and getting regular exercise, you won’t get the best benefits from your treatment. Conversely, with good eating habits, regular exercise, and managed stress, you’ll find yourself feeling and acting years younger. The key is to keep your body working in harmony.
Regular Exercise
Exercise is key to keeping hormones balanced, and a good exercise regimen keeps your body in optimal health. Even if you can only afford 30 minutes a day to exercise, you’ll see a dramatic health difference, especially if you’re not used to exercising. Start slow, with walks and other light exercises that don’t require a drastic, sudden change in your lifestyle.
Challenge yourself to move forward. If you can incorporate weight lifting, you’ll see even better results, including more muscle mass, greater endurance, more stamina, and overall better health.
Diet Changes
Food has a direct impact on your hormones. Processed foods, chemicals, sugar, and refined grains may feel good upon initial consumption, but they actually make it harder for your body to properly function, and they actively interfere with hormone regulation.
Replacing these foods with fresh, healthy foods will help. We can give you more detail at your consultation, but in general, you’ll want to eat unrefined grains, plenty of fruit and vegetables, grass-fed or pastured meats and dairy, and limited sugar. In addition to limiting your sugar intake, it will help even more if you can switch to raw sugar, honey, maple syrup, and other non-refined sweeteners and leave corn syrup and bleached white sugar behind.
Managed Stress
Stress is a reality for all of us, and it can seem hopeless to get out from under it. But stress is destructive to your body and your hormones in particular. Talk to us about stress management techniques that can help.
Who Is a Candidate for BHRT?
Men and women are candidates for this treatment, and while most people need this type of treatment at some point after age 45, it’s not uncommon to find your hormones imbalanced even at much younger ages. If you’re feeling any of the symptoms of hormone imbalance, it’s worth investigating the cause, even if you’re aren’t yet 45. Most commonly though, candidates are:
Men Over 45
This is the age when men start to experience a drop in testosterone. BHRT can help, which will allow you to keep your lean muscle mass and see improvements in mental clarity, energy, and sex drive.
Menopausal Women
Menopause is a natural part of life, and for most women, it will hit around age 50. However, many women begin to experience issues years before menopause officially begins. Hormone replacement can balance your hormones so you feel energized and rejuvenated.
Anyone With a Hormonal Imbalance
You don’t have to be any particular age to seek help. If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms of hormone imbalance, give us a call to set up an appointment. We can help you understand if hormones are to blame and give you options and a treatment plan to get you back on track. In this respect, age really is just a number. The important thing is not your age but the symptoms you are feeling. Our goal is to get you back to feeling like you again.
Get Started Today
You don’t have to spend any more time suffering the symptoms of a hormonal imbalance. Get started today on a rejuvenated you. Contact Medical Transformation Center in Louisville, KY now to set up your initial consultation. We can’t wait to meet you and get started crafting a plan that will help you feel like yourself again.
