Your hormones control almost every body function, from your metabolism to your sex drive. Unfortunately, as you age, your body’s hormone production slows, creating a deficit in your body’s hormonal needs. Bioidentical hormones are custom-made replacement hormones designed to provide the precise hormones your body needs for optimal body function in both men and women.
At Seven at River Prairie, we offer bioidentical hormones. Bioidentical hormones are plant-based and do not include any synthetic hormones. The custom-made hormones are provided in subdermal pellets, which slowly and consistently release hormones to address hormonal imbalances and your related symptoms.
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is a revolutionary form of hormone therapy that uses bioidentical hormones—hormones derived from plants and tailored to match the exact molecular structure of hormones found naturally in the human body. BHRT can be used to treat a variety of conditions, including menopause, perimenopause, hypogonadism, andropause, endocrine imbalances, thyroid dysfunction, adrenal fatigue and other hormone-related issues.
BHRT has a number of benefits compared to conventional hormone therapy. It is safer because bioidentical hormones are tailored to match the exact molecular structure of human hormones. This means they are easier for your body to recognize and absorb than synthetic hormones used in traditional hormone replacement therapies. Additionally, bioidentical hormones can be precisely dosed so that you get the exact amount needed for optimal health and wellness. BHRT also offers more accurate symptom relief by targeting specific symptoms associated with hormone imbalances or deficiencies in an individualized way rather than providing generalized symptom relief with traditional hormone therapy.
Beyond providing symptom relief, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can also offer a range of other benefits. It can improve overall energy levels, reduce hot flashes and night sweats, help to balance mood swings and irritability, enhance brain function and memory recall, improve sleep quality, encourage healthy skin tone and texture, promote bone health and much more.
As a woman gets closer to menopause, her ovaries produce less and less of the female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone. While these essential hormones control ovulation, monthly menstrual cycles, and vaginal health, they also do much more. Estrogen and progesterone also affect the health of a woman’s bones, heart, mental health, and risk of certain cancers.
Replacing these hormones with 100% natural bioidentical hormone therapy (BHRT) not only alleviates many of the symptoms of menopause but can also decrease a woman’s risk of certain physical and mental illnesses and diseases.
Recent studies have shown that hormone replacement therapy may help prevent bone fractures caused by osteoporosis, lower the chances of dementia, and make some women less likely to experience heart disease or certain cancers.
Signs that indicate a hormonal imbalance include:
Most men are aware that normal testosterone levels in men are needed for maintaining healthy libido (sex drive), muscle mass and energy. But research presented at the 2008 annual meeting of The Endocrine Society also revealed that testosterone replacement therapy can help men reduce their risks of heart disease, diabetes, and death.
Customized hormone therapy, like the SottoPelle Method, that is not “one-size-fits all” ensures that the exact, personalized dosages for symptom relief is administered. Additionally, bioidentical hormones, such as those used in the SottoPelle Method exactly replicate the molecular structure of the hormones produced by the body, so they are not only more effective, but also much safer and free of many of the side effects of synthetics.
Signs that indicate a hormonal imbalance in men include:
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for men is the therapeutic provision of synthetic hormones to replace those that are no longer produced naturally within the body. In most cases, by effectively returning hormone levels to normal, HRT can successfully combat the effects that are onset by male hypogonadism, also known as low testosterone.
Before we can get into low testosterone, it’s important to define testosterone itself. Testosterone is the primary male hormone produced mainly from the testes, or testicles. The hormone drastically increases as males enter puberty and peaks by early adulthood. It’s responsible for a multitude of major bodily functions, including:
In short, it dips. Men over 30 lose between 1 to 1.5 percent of their natural supply of testosterone every year. It’s a slow and natural decline, though a decline nonetheless.
So, how does declining testosterone play into aging? Serum testosterone levels mostly drop when your aging testes increasingly become unable to produce enough of the hormone. Your body and brain gradually start to exhibit the effects—energy wanes, pounds begin to add on around the midsection, your mind and mood fluctuate more, and your appetite for sex diminishes.
If your hormone levels rapidly exceed their natural decline, you could be experiencing what’s known by too many men under several names: Andropause, aka male hypogonadism, aka low testosterone or “low T.”
More than one out of four men age 30 or older suffer with low testosterone. And it’s a growing concern—a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism reported that today’s average 30-year-old man has approximately 17 percent less testosterone than a 30-year-old male at the start of the 21st century. A number of variables are attributable, but the end result remains consistent.
First, there are the more commonly known effects, even though you or your loved ones may not notice them right away:
Low T has also been associated with numerous, sometimes severe health issues, including increased risks of:
There’s no set age on when exactly men should begin hormone replacement. However, the general consensus is to start when you begin exhibiting symptoms and see that they’re significantly impacting your daily life.
Though men’s hormones start to naturally decline after 30, it can be a few months, or a few years, before the adverse effects of hypogonadism really begin to manifest.
The benefits provided by hormone replacement with testosterone are plentiful, thankfully. Before anyone asks, “Does HRT build muscle?” the answer is a resounding yes, it can. It can also do a lot more, including:
