Elderly African American couple hugging and smiling

Hormone Therapy

Hormones are the oil in our engine. With age, they naturally decline. This doesn’t mean we have to dwindle in energy and be destined to feel like a dried-up leaf waiting to fall hopelessly from a tree. With all the confusion around hormones, one might have thought that they were unsafe and not a treatment to consider. However, it all depends on the type of therapy and how it is given. There are so many ways to use hormones and ways to make sure it is done safely. There are answers that fit every person. There are many studies that point to the benefits of hormones for mood, bone density, and cardiovascular health. Hormone health is something that can be individualized to every person to meet their needs and optimize their health.

Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) can be used to boost low hormone levels. It’s most frequently used to ease symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. It may also be used to improve symptoms of cancer treatment or to treat conditions such as insulin resistance, adrenal and thyroid disorders, osteoporosis, and fibromyalgia ¹.

Bioidentical hormones are lab-produced hormones derived from plants. They are chemically identical to those the human body produces. Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are among those most commonly replicated and used in treatment. Bioidentical hormones come in various forms, including pills, patches, creams, gels, and injections ¹.

Some bioidentical hormones are made by drug companies. Others, known as compounded bioidentical hormones, are custom made by a pharmacy, according to a doctor’s orders. This process is known as compounding. Compounding typically involves ingredients being combined or altered to meet the needs of an individual ¹.

Hormone therapy is used to treat cancers that use hormones to grow, such as some prostate and breast cancers. Hormone therapy is a cancer treatment that slows or stops the growth of cancer that uses hormones to grow ¹.

Hormone therapy is also used to treat common menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes and vaginal discomfort. Hormone therapy has also been proved to prevent bone loss and reduce fracture in postmenopausal women ².