Why Would I Need Bioidentical Hormones?
Why Would I Need Bioidentical Hormones?
Bioidentical hormones match the exact hormones produced by the organs in your body. Even though they are made in a laboratory, the chemical messengers act in the same way natural hormones work with the body. In the end, your body can't tell the difference between naturally produced, or the hormones added from undergoing bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). You may ask yourself, why would I need bioidentical hormones?
As you age, hormones decrease or plummet dramatically due to a medical condition or menopause. When this happens, you can experience painful symptoms that only bioidentical hormones can alleviate. In this article, we’ll explain the common symptoms caused by imbalanced hormones.
Menopausal symptoms
Most people have heard of menopause, but don't understand the exact cause. Menopause occurs when the hormones estrogen and progesterone drop dramatically. The age varies from woman to woman but typically happens in the early 50s.
Menopause signals a time in a woman's life when the ability to conceive ends. Progesterone and estrogen are the most prominent female sex hormones, mainly responsible for menstrual cycle regulation and fertility. However, the hormones are essential for maintaining healthy bones and cardiovascular health, amongst other things.
If you're experiencing menopausal symptoms, one or more of the following are typical:
- hot flashes (waking up in drenching sweat)
- vaginal atrophy (extreme vaginal dryness)
- unable to sleep or wake up after only a few hours
- intense migraines that make you unable to cope
- unexplained weight gain that won’t go away
- dramatic mood swings
- lack of sexual desire
Undertaking a healthy diet and regular exercise helps battle the symptoms of menopause, but the most common treatment for low estrogen is hormone therapy. Estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) uses bioidentical estrogen to jumpstart your body back into balance. Try a topical estrogen or estriol cream to balance your hormones.
Insomnia
If you’ve ever suffered from a lack of sleep, you know you’ll do anything to get your daily zzzs. Sleep interference can come from physical or emotional factors, including stress and anxiety or hot and loud sleeping conditions. One reason people do not realize is — imbalanced hormones. Out of whack hormones can wreak havoc on sleep.
Low estrogen levels may cause hot flashes, which then wake you up. Low DHEA means less testosterone or estrogen, resulting in an inability to sleep. Hormones really can be the culprit for many physiological problems.
One hormone that helps you sleep in melatonin. As the sunlight disappears, your body begins to produce melatonin to help prepare you for sleep. Stress can reduce the amount of melatonin, so using a melatonin cream an hour before bedtime ensures you have enough for a good night's sleep.
Low sex drive
Having a healthy sex life maintains and rejuvenates relationships. Not only that, but it provides peace of mind and a necessary boost of the happy hormone serotonin.
Lower levels of hormones such as estrogen, estriol, progesterone, and testosterone, make sexual libidos drop. Replacing the missing hormones with bioidentical ones may add a pep in your step and your love life.
Feeling tired and lethargic
Have you ever had a long sleep yet felt tired during the day? Or worse, spent the night wide awake, yet soon as daylight hits, you become a zombie? The culprit may be imbalanced hormones. Your chemical messengers, whether estrogen, progesterone, or testosterone, all work together to impact every bodily system.
If you have a hormonal imbalance, one result may be extreme tiredness all the time. Of course, this can be connected to insomnia, a low sex drive, or menopause. Regardless it may be a symptom of why you need bioidentical hormones.
Anxiety and depression
Unfortunately, anxiety and depression are more common than people realize. Mental health disorders cause extreme pain and suffering for the individual and the people that care about them. Although each condition has its causes, the symptoms can be remarkably similar.
One reason for both anxiety and depression is low hormone levels. If you believe you're suffering from a mental health condition, consult with your doctor.
Unexplained weight gain
When you check the scale and see the number go up, you feel defeated. Your self-esteem withers, and all you want to do is soak up your tears with a milkshake. But sometimes you have been eating healthy and getting your steps in, yet the scale goes up.
No matter what you do or how many calories you consume, you’re still gaining weight. The reason may be low or high hormone levels. Supplementing with bioidentical hormones may give you the balance you need to fight the bulge.
Dry skin
Thin skin that feels like a paper towel may be a symptom of low hormones. Estrogen, in particular, maintains and rejuvenates skin cells and how levels may result in the opposite. Menopause may be the cause of low estrogen levels.
Weak muscles
Usually, the more you work out, the stronger your muscles feel. Yet no amount of pumping iron can improve weak muscles when you have an estrogen hormone deficiency.
Declining estrogen and progesterone levels may be due to age or other health factors. Estrogen also plays a role in bone density, and a lack may be linked to osteoporosis, particularly for women.
Hair loss
Losing one’s hair brings about an emotional response. And for a good reason. Our hair is connected to our sexuality, signature style, and youthfulness. When you lose your hair, it may cause you to feel unattractive or depressed. Hair loss can also happen to both men and women for the same reason— low hormones.
For women, low estrogen during menopause causes hair to fall out or thin. Low testosterone for men results in the same outcome. Replacing the missing hormones with bioidentical ones can slow down or stop the process, leaving you with thick luscious hair.
Why would I need bioidentical hormones, the reason is clear— to replace the missing ones. Our bodies rely on hormones as critical messengers to regulate everything from sleep to metabolism. If you suspect you need bioidentical hormones, speak to your healthcare provider about which ones are right for you.
If you want to know more about bioidentical hormones and their benefits you can read more on our website.