Bioidentical hormone therapy safely and effectively treats the symptoms of menopause and protects women from problems associated with menopause, like osteoporosis. Men also benefit from bioidentical hormone therapy when they have low testosterone. The Avante Laser & MediSpa team provides bioidentical hormone therapy to balance levels of hormones and restore your health and vitality. To schedule an appointment, call their offices in Houston or The Woodlands, Texas or book an appointment online.
What are bioidentical hormones?
When you’re deficient in one or more hormones, Dr. Cho may prescribe bioidentical hormone replacement therapy to bring your levels back to normal.
Bioidentical hormones have the same molecular structure as the hormones your endocrine system naturally produces. Since bioidentical hormones mimic the body’s hormones, they may lower the chance of side effects.
How does low estrogen affect women’s health?
In the years before menopause, called perimenopause, your estrogen levels begin to fluctuate. When you reach menopause, estrogen drops to a very low level, where it stays for the rest of your life, unless you take hormone replacement therapy.
Loss of estrogen causes classic menopause symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats and loss of sexual desire.
But those aren’t the only problems that women face. Estrogen is essential for maintaining healthy tissue in your blood vessels, vagina, and urinary tract. It also helps regulates bone metabolism and keeps skin strong and hydrated.
Low levels of estrogen at menopause cause:
Vaginal atrophy (thinning, drying and inflammation of vagina)
Painful intercourse
Urinary incontinence
Osteoporosis
Heart disease
Aging skin
Can men benefit from bioidentical hormones?
Around the age of 30, testosterone levels in men begin to decline, dropping at the rate of about 1% annually. Besides this natural loss, low testosterone may be caused by hypogonadism, which occurs when your body doesn’t produce enough testosterone.
Low testosterone causes:
Low sex drive and erectile dysfunction
Muscle mass loss
Osteoporosis
Decrease in beard and body hair
Breast tissue development
Difficulty concentrating
Fatigue
Depression
Which forms of bioidentical hormones are available?
Bioidentical hormones are available as oral tablets, but that’s not the only form or the best form for everyone. Estrogen and testosterone therapies also come in patch, injection, or cream forms. However, the Avante team recommends another type that’s longer lasting, BioTE® pellet therapy.
Pellets are made from bioidentical hormones pressed into a small cylinder about the size of a grain of rice. Your Avante provider inserts the pellet under your skin, often in the hip or lower abdominal area.
After they insert the pellet, it continuously releases the precise amount of bioidentical hormone you need. Your pellet lasts three to four months, providing a consistent dose of hormone, so levels stay steady.
Call or schedule a consultation online if you’d like to consider bioidentical hormone therapy.
