If you’re suffering from menopause symptoms like night sweats, low libido, hot flashes, or other frustrating problems, hormone replacement therapy can help you feel like yourself again. The experienced OB/GYN caregivers at Georgia Center for Women in Atlanta, Emory, and Morrow, Georgia, are here to guide and support you through menopause and beyond. Book your appointment online or call the location nearest you today.
When is hormone replacement needed?
Many women need hormone replacement during menopause. As you start perimenopause (the menopause transition period), and then full menopause, your estrogen, and progesterone levels drop. Eventually, you'll produce just a fraction of the hormones that you made before menopause, and that often causes some very uncomfortable symptoms.
Some women may also suffer from hormone imbalance, and its accompanying symptoms, well before menopause due to genetics or physical illnesses. Your doctor may recommend hormone therapy to replace the hormones you’re missing. Hormone replacement comes in several forms, including:
- Oral tablets
- Patches
- Topical creams
- Injectable bioidentical hormone pellets
Which symptoms can hormone replacement therapy help with?
There are many symptoms of hormone imbalance, and hormone replacement therapy is very effective for most of them. Hormone replacement therapy can help with all of the following.
- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Breast tenderness
- Mood swings
- Depression
- Insomnia
- Painful intercourse
- Lower libido
With hormone replacement therapy, lifestyle changes as needed, and other treatments such as MonaLisa Touch® laser treatment for specific problems like vaginal dryness, you can achieve dramatic symptom relief.
What is the best option, synthetic or bioidentical hormones?
Although synthetic oral hormone replacement therapy was once the most-common choice, times are changing with the availability of bioidentical hormones. Georgia Center for Women offers BioTE® bioidentical hormone therapy, which includes replacement hormones that have a molecular structure identical to your natural hormones.
Oral hormones are synthetic, but BioTE hormones are natural hormones, derived from plant sources instead of animal sources. BioTE hormone replacement is also remarkably simple and easy in comparison to daily oral hormones, topical cream hormones, or even synthetic hormone patches. BioTE hormones are in tiny pellets, which your doctor inserts into a small incision in your hip.
The pellets then steadily release hormones for the next 3-6 months. You may notice symptom relief within just 2-4 weeks, and you don’t need to worry about taking medicine, applying a cream, or monitoring a patch.
How long will I need hormone replacement therapy?
It can vary from one woman to another. During each visit to Georgia Center for Women, your doctor monitors your symptoms to determine whether you need to continue with your hormone replacement therapy.
Eventually, you'll taper your dose down until you no longer need hormone replacement therapy. Usually, the therapy lasts for no more than five years.
To learn more about hormone replacement therapy at Georgia Center for Women, book your appointment online or call the location nearest you today.
