If it has been at least one year since you last menstruated, you are officially considered menopausal – and you probably feel the differences. After menopause, a woman’s estrogen levels drop dramatically.
The ovaries stop producing estrogen, and the adrenal glands and fat cells become the primary source of this hormone in the body. This lack of estrogen leads to many of the common side effects of menopause, such as night sweats, hot flashes, vaginal dryness and lack of libido.
Without estrogen, a woman may feel worn out and old before her time. Estrogen replacement therapy, in the form of bioidentical hormones, can reverse menopausal symptoms. A Manhattan estrogen replacement therapy doctor can help you feel like yourself again.
Estrogen is responsible for the development of secondary sex characteristics, regulation of the menstrual cycle and maintains the uterus during pregnancy. It is estrogen that helps start contractions during labor.
This vital hormone aids in vaginal lubrication, serotonin production in the brain, protects nerves, increases skin thickness and prevent bone loss. It is obvious that once estrogen production plummets in menopause, various body functions will take a big hit.
Most of the major menopausal side effects are directly estrogen-related. In addition to those already noted, these include:
Estrogen replacement therapy alleviates these symptoms and makes a woman feel “normal” again. Estrogen replacement therapy alone is used for women who have had a hysterectomy.
For those women who still have a uterus, estrogen is used in combination with progestin to prevent the uterine lining from overgrowing, possibly resulting in endometrial cancer.
If vaginal dryness is the primary issue, some women may prefer to use estrogen cream or rings to address that concern, rather than use estrogen replacement therapy affecting the entire body. Estrogen replacement therapy is available in pill, injectable, patch and subcutaneous pellet form.
Some women are reluctant to try Manhattan estrogen replacement therapy because they believe it may increase the risk of breast cancer or heart disease. That is true of standard, synthetic estrogen replacement therapy, where the conjugated equine estrogens used for human females are derived from pregnant mares’ urine.
That is not the case with plant-derived bioidentical hormones, which are identical on the molecular level to the hormones produced by the woman’s body.
Your body cannot tell the difference between its natural hormones and the bioidentical version. Bioidentical hormones are created for each patient in a compounding pharmacy, unlike one-size-fits-all synthetic hormones.
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy may reduce the risks of breast cancer or cardiovascular issues, along with lowering the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, Parkinson’s disease, osteoporosis and diabetes, all scourges of older women.
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy does not exist in a vacuum, but requires a holistic approach. Along with custom-tailored hormone replacement therapy, women receive a personalized diet, exercise and nutritional supplement regimen designed for optimum health. Patients are regularly monitored and therapeutic hormone levels are adjusted as needed.
If you would like to know more about Manhattan estrogen replacement therapy and whether you are a candidate, call Dr. Jacobson’s office today and arrange for a consultation.