Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
Are your hormones out of balance?
Unbalanced hormones can make you feel like a stranger in your own skin.
Anyone who has been through puberty knows that hormones have a powerful effect on one’s body. Hormones affect many areas of your health, including your mood, your metabolism, and your sexual and reproductive function. If your hormones become unbalanced, whether due to menopause or other factors, you may end up feeling like a stranger in your own skin. However, compounded hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a way to restore balance and help you feel like yourself again.
Hormone therapy designed specifically for your body HRT is most often prescribed to ease the symptoms of menopause, but it also can be used to treat a variety of conditions that women of all ages may experience, including:
These conditions affect millions of women. As the number of women seeking hormone-related treatment has grown, so has the mass production of pills, patches and creams by the drug industry. However, each woman’s body is different and has its own unique needs, but commercially manufactured products tend to be “one-size-fits-all,” and do not always account for the differences between individuals.
No two women are alike, of course, and compounding pharmacists understand this fact.Pharmacy compounding is the art and science of preparing customized medications for patients. The advantage of compounded HRT is that it can be adapted specifically to fit each individual’s body and hormone levels. HRT can utilize hormones that have the exact chemical structure as the hormones in the human body. The body recognizes them and allows them to mimic the function of the hormones the body produces on its own.
Our compounding pharmacist can provide a hormone evaluation for the patient to fill out. A pharmacist experienced in HRT may assist the healthcare provider in helping interpret the results of serum of saliva tests which measure a patient’s hormone levels. The healthcare provider, compounding pharmacist, and the patient can use the results of these diagnostic tools to help determine a course of treatment which will give the patient the exact amount of hormones her body needs.
Working closely with a woman and her healthcare provider, a compounding pharmacist can help a woman start and maintain a hormone replacement regimen that brings her hormones back into balance and closely mimics what her body has been doing naturally for years. With a healthcare provider’s prescription, the pharmacist can prepare hormones in a variety of strengths and dosage forms, including:
It’s your body…why not give yourself the option of a customized, compounded hormone therapy? Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about hormone replacement therapy.
Unbalanced hormones can make you feel like a stranger in your own skin.
Anyone who has been through puberty knows that hormones have a powerful effect on one’s body. Hormones affect many areas of your health, including your mood, your metabolism, and your sexual and reproductive function. If your hormones become unbalanced, whether due to menopause or other factors, you may end up feeling like a stranger in your own skin. However, compounded hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a way to restore balance and help you feel like yourself again.
Hormone therapy designed specifically for your body HRT is most often prescribed to ease the symptoms of menopause, but it also can be used to treat a variety of conditions that women of all ages may experience, including:
- Pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS)
- Irregular menstrual cycle
- Moodiness
- Infertility
- Post-partum depression
- Weight gain
- Endometriosis
- Fibrocystic breasts
- Sleep disturbances
- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Decreased libido
- Painful sexual intercourse
- Vaginal dryness
These conditions affect millions of women. As the number of women seeking hormone-related treatment has grown, so has the mass production of pills, patches and creams by the drug industry. However, each woman’s body is different and has its own unique needs, but commercially manufactured products tend to be “one-size-fits-all,” and do not always account for the differences between individuals.
No two women are alike, of course, and compounding pharmacists understand this fact.Pharmacy compounding is the art and science of preparing customized medications for patients. The advantage of compounded HRT is that it can be adapted specifically to fit each individual’s body and hormone levels. HRT can utilize hormones that have the exact chemical structure as the hormones in the human body. The body recognizes them and allows them to mimic the function of the hormones the body produces on its own.
Our compounding pharmacist can provide a hormone evaluation for the patient to fill out. A pharmacist experienced in HRT may assist the healthcare provider in helping interpret the results of serum of saliva tests which measure a patient’s hormone levels. The healthcare provider, compounding pharmacist, and the patient can use the results of these diagnostic tools to help determine a course of treatment which will give the patient the exact amount of hormones her body needs.
Working closely with a woman and her healthcare provider, a compounding pharmacist can help a woman start and maintain a hormone replacement regimen that brings her hormones back into balance and closely mimics what her body has been doing naturally for years. With a healthcare provider’s prescription, the pharmacist can prepare hormones in a variety of strengths and dosage forms, including:
- Capsules
- Topical or vaginal creams, gels, and foams
- Suppositories
- Sublingual drops or trochees
It’s your body…why not give yourself the option of a customized, compounded hormone therapy? Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about hormone replacement therapy.
Menopause, PMS, and Andropause
Menopause is a natural stage of life, affecting different women in very different ways, with symptoms that vary widely, in number, variety and strength. The average age of the onset of menopause is 51.4 years, although some women stop having periods in their early forties, while others go on until their late fifties. And, the symptoms can last for up to two years after the final period, with some women experiencing hot flashes for up to ten years.
Menopause can be a challenging time. Besides the physical symptoms of menopause, there are emotional changes as well, including worries about growing older, sense of personal attractiveness and self-esteem. Common symptoms of menopause include:
Since periods rarely stop without warning, the transitional stage during which most women begin to become irregular prior to stopping altogether is called peri-menopause or pre-menopause. Typically lasting for two to three years, peri-menopause may last up to ten years before complete cessation of the menstrual period. During this time, women may experience a combination of PMS and menopausal symptoms or no symptoms of menopause at all.
Women who have had both ovaries and/or uterus (hysterectomy) surgically removed will experience a dramatic reduction in the production of all sex hormones, in effect, an artifically induced state of menopause called surgical menopause.
Premature menopause (ovarian failure before the age of 40) exhibits the same clinical symptoms and complaints associated with natural menopause. This version of menopause may be due to a range of factors including radiation exposure, smoking, cancer, drugs or other causes.
PMS Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is real. PMS is caused by an imbalance of estrogen and progesterone, the two primary female hormones and affects millions of women. Estimates indicate that 85% of menstruating women experience some form of PMS.
PMS is attributed to a range of conditions. In some cases, it may be caused by a lack of communication between the hypothalamus, the pituitary and the ovaries, the glands most involved in menstruation. Depression, stress and low levels of certain vitamins and minerals are also speculated to be among the contributors to symptoms of PMS.
Symptoms of PMS occur monthly, generally 7 to 14 days prior to menstruation, and may seem to increase as menstruation approaches and subside at the onset of menstruation or soon thereafter. Some of the common physical and emotional PMS symptoms are:
There is no single treatment for PMS because of the wide range of symptoms and variety of contributors to the cause of the condition. Common treatments that may help include bio identical hormone replacement therapy, diet changes, exercise, vitamin supplements, medications, education and psychological counseling.
Andropause, sometimes referred to as male menopause, may have a mythic status due to many men’s “don’t ask – don’t tell” unwillingness to acknowledge the condition. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “male androgens progressively decline with age.” This male hormone deficiency – andropause – or “male menopause” really exists.
Between the ages of 40 and 55, men can experience a condition similar to menopause due to a decline in male hormone (androgens) levels, primarily testosterone. Body changes occur gradually and may be accompanied by symptoms similar to those of menopause. Symptoms of male hormone deficiency or imbalance include:
©2014, Storey Marketing. All rights reserved.
Menopause is a natural stage of life, affecting different women in very different ways, with symptoms that vary widely, in number, variety and strength. The average age of the onset of menopause is 51.4 years, although some women stop having periods in their early forties, while others go on until their late fifties. And, the symptoms can last for up to two years after the final period, with some women experiencing hot flashes for up to ten years.
Menopause can be a challenging time. Besides the physical symptoms of menopause, there are emotional changes as well, including worries about growing older, sense of personal attractiveness and self-esteem. Common symptoms of menopause include:
- Bleeding gums
- Body Odor
- Bouts of rapid heartbeat
- Breast tenderness
- Brittle fingernails
- Burning tongue
- Clammy feeling
- Depression
- Difficulty concentrating and mental confusion
- Dizziness and lightheadedness
- Fatigue
- Feelings of anxiety, dread and apprehension
- Flatulence and gas pain
- Hair loss or thinning
- Headache
- Hot flashes, flushes, night sweats and cold flashes
- Increase in allergies
- Increase in facial hair
- Indigestion and nausea
- Irregular periods
- Irritability
- Itchy, crawly skin
- Loss of libido
- Memory lapses
- Mood swings and sudden tears
- Muscular tension
- Sensation of electric shock
- Sore joints and muscles
- Sudden bloating
- Tingling in the extremities
- Trouble sleeping through the night
- Urinary tract problems
- Vaginal dryness
- Weight gain
Since periods rarely stop without warning, the transitional stage during which most women begin to become irregular prior to stopping altogether is called peri-menopause or pre-menopause. Typically lasting for two to three years, peri-menopause may last up to ten years before complete cessation of the menstrual period. During this time, women may experience a combination of PMS and menopausal symptoms or no symptoms of menopause at all.
Women who have had both ovaries and/or uterus (hysterectomy) surgically removed will experience a dramatic reduction in the production of all sex hormones, in effect, an artifically induced state of menopause called surgical menopause.
Premature menopause (ovarian failure before the age of 40) exhibits the same clinical symptoms and complaints associated with natural menopause. This version of menopause may be due to a range of factors including radiation exposure, smoking, cancer, drugs or other causes.
PMS Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is real. PMS is caused by an imbalance of estrogen and progesterone, the two primary female hormones and affects millions of women. Estimates indicate that 85% of menstruating women experience some form of PMS.
PMS is attributed to a range of conditions. In some cases, it may be caused by a lack of communication between the hypothalamus, the pituitary and the ovaries, the glands most involved in menstruation. Depression, stress and low levels of certain vitamins and minerals are also speculated to be among the contributors to symptoms of PMS.
Symptoms of PMS occur monthly, generally 7 to 14 days prior to menstruation, and may seem to increase as menstruation approaches and subside at the onset of menstruation or soon thereafter. Some of the common physical and emotional PMS symptoms are:
- Acne or skin eruptions
- Abdominal bloating
- Aggression
- Appetite changes and food cravings
- Anxiety
- Backache
- Breast tenderness
- Change in sexual drive or activity
- Clumsiness
- Crying spells
- Depression
- Difficulty concentrating
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Hot flashes
- Inability to relax
- Joint or muscle pain
- Lethargy
- Low abdominal pain
- Mood swings
- Nausea
- Tension
- Weight gain from fluid retention
There is no single treatment for PMS because of the wide range of symptoms and variety of contributors to the cause of the condition. Common treatments that may help include bio identical hormone replacement therapy, diet changes, exercise, vitamin supplements, medications, education and psychological counseling.
Andropause, sometimes referred to as male menopause, may have a mythic status due to many men’s “don’t ask – don’t tell” unwillingness to acknowledge the condition. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “male androgens progressively decline with age.” This male hormone deficiency – andropause – or “male menopause” really exists.
Between the ages of 40 and 55, men can experience a condition similar to menopause due to a decline in male hormone (androgens) levels, primarily testosterone. Body changes occur gradually and may be accompanied by symptoms similar to those of menopause. Symptoms of male hormone deficiency or imbalance include:
- Accelerated aging of the heart
- Diminished cognitive function
- Changes in attitudes and moods
- Decreased physical agility
- Depression
- Erectile dysfunction
- Fatigue
- Lack of sex drive
- Decline in sexual function
- Loss of competitive edge
- Loss of energy
- Rapidly falling level of fitness
- Increased abdominal fat
- Shrinkage of muscle mass
- Stiffness and pain in the muscles and joints
- Excess alcohol use
- Inactivity and lack of exercise
- Infections
- Obesity
- Stress
- Vasectomy
©2014, Storey Marketing. All rights reserved.
