How BHRT Can Help Relieve the Symptoms of Menopause

Many women sail through the menopausal transition with a hot flash here and there and a few irregular menstrual cycles. Just enough to joke about and not enough to fuss over. Other women, however, soon learn what their mothers warned them about when they enter the trials and tribulation phase of menopause.

The mood swings and acne that sometimes accompany menopause can make you feel like a teenager again. Add in hot flashes, drenching night sweats, weight gain, and difficulty sleeping, and you’ve got a perfect storm brewing. One that might last for years – yes, years.

But before you lock yourself in the bedroom with a fan and a gallon of ice cream, know that there is hope. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) can reduce or eliminate the symptoms that occur during the menopausal phase of the female experience.

Find out why the menopause specialists at Southeast Urogyn’s sister clinic, Ovation Women’s Wellness, recommend you consider BHRT before you pick up the ice cream scoop.

Understanding menopause

Menopause literally means cessation or pause of menstruation. So, technically, menopause is the life phase you enter once you haven’t had a period for 12 consecutive months. By that time, many of the harrowing symptoms related to menopause may be over. It’s during the perimenopausal phase leading up to menopause that causes the most difficulty.

Your body begins to prepare for menopause during your 30s and 40s. It’s typically a gradual transition that starts with a slowdown of viable egg production after about age 35 and moves on to declining estrogen levels through your 40s. It’s the estrogen loss that causes your symptoms.

The average age for menopause in the United States is 51. Symptoms associated with perimenopause typically start around age 47, or about four years before you stop having periods.

Every woman is certainly unique, however, so you may experience perimenopausal symptoms through your 50s or enter premature menopause at 40. It’s important to remember that you can still become pregnant during perimenopause.

What BHRT can do for you

BHRT is designed to replace the hormones your body is not producing during perimenopause and menopause. Unlike replacement hormones of yesteryear that were created from the urine of pregnant mares, bioidentical hormones match the molecular structure of your natural hormones.

BHRT can provide relief from many menopause-related symptoms, which may include:

• Hot flashes and night sweats
• Difficulty sleeping
• Loss of libido (interest in sex)
• Painful sexual intercourse due to vaginal dryness and loss of tissue elasticity
• Mood changes
• Weight gain
• Thinning hair and dry skin

BHRT therapy comes in a variety of forms, including:

• Gels or creams
• Pills
• Troches (lozenges)
• Skin patches

We might also recommend hormone pellet implants, which are inserted just under your skin and last for about three months. It’s a convenient, no-worry delivery method that many women find attractive.

When the symptoms of menopause are more than you bargained for, reach out for help from our menopause specialists. We offer a wide variety of treatments, including BHRT, that can help you move into the next phase of your life adventure. Schedule your visit at Ovation Women’s Wellness today.