Healthy older couple representing bioidentical hormone therapy for anti-aging

Hormone Replacement Therapy in Atlanta

Hormones play a significant role in a number of body processes, including metabolism, mood regulation, and more. Hormone replacement therapy can offer you the balance you need to live a happy, healthy life.

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What is Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy?

For Women: Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is most commonly used to treat menopause symptoms. However, hormone therapy may also be used to manage issues during puberty, or issues relating to thyroid and weight management.

For Men: The most common use of hormone replacement therapy in men is the use of bioidentical hormones to treat low testosterone. Andropause (male menopause) is caused by low testosterone, as testosterone levels decrease about 2% each year in men.

If you suffer from any of the above issues (or any closely related issues), we have provided additional information about personalized hormone replacement therapy for men and women below.

Bioidentical Hormone Supplementation for Men

Hormones are powerful chemicals and are constantly held in a precise balance by the body. Some men thrive with robust levels of hormones while other men feel at their best with moderate levels of hormones. But most men feel bad if they have very low hormone levels. Men with low testosterone may experience weight gain (abdominal), poor memory, depression, fatigue, weakness, low muscle mass, bone loss and lack of sex drive. It is important to find a knowledgeable practitioner of integrative and functional medicine to determine what is right for you and customize a hormone treatment specific for your body’s biochemistry. Hormones are transported throughout the body and are important in growth, development and overall well-being. There are a number of glands in the body which release hormones as needed for a variety of process occurring within the body. The most common functions of hormones are:

Growth
Blood pressure regulation
Stress management
Regulate metabolism
Carbohydrate, protein, and lipid metabolism
Bone growth

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What Symptoms are Associated with Hormonal Imbalance in Men?

Most men begin to experience hormone imbalances as they age, primarily due to the gradual decline of testosterone as men enter their 30s. The decline in testosterone may cause a number of uncomfortable symptoms, which are listed below.

Low Male Hormones

Fatigue
Muscle Weakness and Atrophy
Anxiety
Depression
Low Libido

Excess Male Hormones

Metabolic Syndrome
Acne
Prostatism (nocturia, dysuria)
Male Pattern Balding

Declining testosterone levels not only impact men physically but may also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, anxiety, and depression. Testosterone replacement has been found to improve a number of conditions associated with hormonal imbalances such as insulin resistance, bone loss, and poor muscle mass. Testosterone may be utilized as a predictor of diabetes and bioidentical hormone therapy with testosterone improves insulin resistance.

Testosterone replacement is also known to increase muscle tissue and improve bone density in men with declining testosterone levels. A man with low testosterone may find a dramatic improvement in his health after using bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. However, estrogen levels in men are also important. With too little estrogen, a man can have poor libido. Excess estrogen or problems getting rid of hormones can pose a problem for a man with prostate cancer. Progesterone levels are also measured for comprehensive men’s health care.

How Does Progressive Treat Hormone Imbalance in Men?

The clinicians at Progressive Medical Center treat the whole person, not simply a low hormone lab result. We do this by listening to what symptoms you describe, and even if your lab results are normal, we will still assess the underlying cause if you are feeling unwell. Bioidentical hormones (testosterone, estrogen, DHEA, and progesterone) can improve energy, libido, memory, and muscle mass, in a man with low hormone levels. DHEA has been shown to improve the cardiovascular health of middle-aged men. If you are concerned about the safety of replacement hormones, then an integrative medical doctor is your best option.

Excessive hormone supplementation can cause unwanted side effects. For safe, natural hormone replacement, integrative medical doctors use your test results and symptoms to determine the minimum dosage needed to resolve your symptoms. Integrative medical doctors often institute measures to enhance the safety and efficacy of this treatment.

Each patient is monitored carefully through regular follow-up hormone panels to ensure they achieve symptom relief at the lowest possible dosage. In the initial stages, hormone testing will be done every three months to monitor treatment and hormone levels. Once we restore hormonal balance, levels will be monitored yearly. Your doctor will assess and support your body’s ability to clear hormones, which is fundamental to safe and effective bioidentical hormone replacement.

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What are Other Causes of Hormone Imbalance?

Hormones have powerful effects on the body’s tissues, cells, metabolism, and growth. Sex hormones are just one chemical system in the body but they communicate with many other systems in the body including hormones from the adrenal glands and the thyroid.

The gastrointestinal tract must be working well so that the body has everything it needs to make hormones and remove them from the body. Healthy hormone balance requires a tune-up of all of these systems.

Adrenal Health

Many people are chronically stressed which can deplete the body’s levels of hormones. Adrenal testing allows the physicians at Progressive to look more closely at the impact of stress on your hormones.

If you always feel stressed, have extra abdominal fat, are having trouble sleeping and waking up, and easily feel overwhelmed by things in life, then you are probably suffering from adrenal fatigue.

Testing adrenal function allows our physicians to customize treatments to help raise your energy levels and endurance by supporting adrenal function. Your doctor will also evaluate your lifestyle and determine when it may be necessary to utilize stress management techniques.

Thyroid Health

Thyroid balance is very important when adjusting sex hormone levels. The thyroid is often called the “master regulator” because it is vital for so many systems in the body and controls metabolism, which helps you maintain the optimal weight for your body type.

Thyroid testing allows us to evaluate if your body has adequate thyroid hormones to function properly. If your thyroid is not working correctly, you may struggle to balance hormones such as testosterone and estrogen. By using your thyroid test results, we can determine the best course of nutritional and dietary treatment to support optimal thyroid function and metabolism.

Gut Health

Gastrointestinal health is critical for making hormones and getting rid of hormones. Healthy digestion and absorption of nutrients give your body all the building blocks it needs to manufacture hormones. Gut health is critical in eliminating hormonal waste products that no longer are needed by the body.

A stool test may be run to evaluate your gut health. Your practitioner may also choose to do a food sensitivity test. Food sensitivities can create inflammation that may cause hormonal complaints such as fatigue, weight gain, or brain fog.

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Hormone Replacement Therapy for Women: Achieving Your Dynamic Feminine Balance

Hormones are powerful chemicals and are constantly held in a dynamic balance by the body. Some women thrive with robust levels of hormones while other women feel at their best with moderate levels of hormones. But most women feel out of sorts if they have very low hormone levels.

It is important to find a knowledgeable practitioner of integrative and functional medicine to determine what is right for you and customize a hormone treatment specific to your body’s biochemical make-up.

Hormones are transported throughout the body and are important in growth, development, and overall well-being. There are a number of glands in the body that release hormones as needed for a variety of processes occurring within the body. The most common functions of hormones are:

Growth
Blood pressure regulation
Stress management
Regulate metabolism
Carbohydrate, protein, and lipid metabolism
Bone growth

Hormones change throughout life, and women produce less estrogen as they age. Progesterone and DHEA also begin to decline in a woman’s mid-20s and 30s. It is for this reason that evaluating hormone levels is particularly useful in identifying hormonal imbalances, restoring balance, and resolving common symptoms related to these changes. A true understanding of female hormonal health will involve not only estrogen and progesterone; but also evaluating adrenal function, thyroid function, and bowel function.

All are important for achieving optimal hormone health. Hormone replacement therapy, like all therapies, should be done with the individual’s overall health in mind. What may seem to be simply a hormone imbalance could be caused by other imbalanced systems in the body that must be resolved first.

What symptoms are associated with Hormonal Imbalance?

There are a variety of symptoms associated with hormonal imbalances that may vary depending on whether a woman is premenopausal, menopausal or postmenopausal. Women troubled with infertility may have hormone imbalances. A fairly common phenomenon in premenopausal women is premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

A variety of symptoms may be associated with PMS including physical discomforts such as:

Weight gain
Headache
Nausea
Fatigue
Abdominal cramps
Sleep disturbances
Mood swings and irritability
General unhappiness

At the start of menopause, estrogen levels decrease and many women experience symptoms such as:

Hot flashes
Incontinence
Night sweats
Vaginal dryness
Sleep disturbances
Weight gain
Mood changes
Hair loss

Declining estrogen and progesterone levels not only impact women physically but may also increase the risk of bone loss. Both estrogen and progesterone may be utilized as part of bioidentical hormone replacement. When a woman has a hormone imbalance, treatment with topical hormones can resolve her symptoms sometimes instantaneously.

What are other associated problems?

Hormones have powerful effects on the body’s tissues, cells, metabolism, and growth. Sex hormones are just one chemical system in the body but they communicate with many other systems in the body including hormones from the adrenal glands and the thyroid. The gastrointestinal tract must be working well so that the body has everything it needs to make hormones and remove them from the body. Healthy hormone balance requires a tune-up of all of these systems.

Adrenal Health
Many people are chronically stressed which can deplete the body’s levels of hormones. Adrenal testing allows the physicians at Progressive to look more closely at the impact of stress on your hormones. If you always feel stressed, have extra abdominal fat, are having trouble sleeping and waking up, and easily feel overwhelmed by things in life, then you are probably suffering from adrenal fatigue. Testing adrenal function allows our physicians to customize treatments to help raise your energy levels and endurance by supporting adrenal function. Your doctor will also evaluate your lifestyle and determine when it may be necessary to utilize stress management techniques.

Thyroid Health
Thyroid balance is very important when adjusting sex hormone levels. The thyroid is often called the “master regulator” because it is vital for so many systems in the body and controls metabolism, which helps you to maintain the optimal weight for your body type. Thyroid testing allows us to evaluate if your body has adequate thyroid hormones to function properly. If your thyroid is not working correctly, it will interfere with balancing hormones such as progesterone and estrogen. By using your thyroid test results, we can determine the best course of nutritional and dietary treatment to support optimal thyroid function and metabolism. (See these articles on Thyroid Health)

Gut Health
Gastrointestinal health is critical for hormonal balance and determines how we handle hormones. Healthy digestion and absorption of nutrients give your body all the building blocks it needs to manufacture hormones. Gut health is critical in eliminating hormonal waste products that no longer are needed by the body. A stool test may be run to evaluate your gut health. Your practitioner may also choose to do a food sensitivity test. Food sensitivities can create inflammation that may cause hormonal complaints such as hot flashes, fatigue, or brain fog.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why would I choose bioidentical hormones over a synthetic hormone?

Bioidentical hormones have a molecular structure similar to the hormones naturally produced by the human body. They are not made from synthetic or fake substances that the body cannot recognize. Bio-identical hormones are thought to be safer than synthetic hormones for two practical reasons: they can be customized to the individual needs of the patient as opposed to the “one dose fits all” approach of synthetic hormone treatment. Bioidentical hormones are thought to be recognized by the body and are easier to metabolize, which is thought to minimize side effects, making it a safe and effective treatment.

What are the side effects?

The main potential side effect of hormone replacement therapy is taking more hormones than what is appropriate for your body. This is avoided by analyzing your hormone levels consistently over time, listening to your symptoms, and finding the minimum hormone dose necessary to get you feeling better. Your doctor is knowledgeable of the side effects of excess hormone levels and will adjust your dose if you feel imbalanced as a result of hormone supplementation. Further, your doctor will give you supplements to enhance your body’s clearance of hormone waste products. Our bodies are ever-changing and when following a personalized treatment plan, patients sometimes dramatically decrease their reliance on hormone supplementation because symptoms disappear.

Is the treatment billable?

Many of the blood tests and treatments may be covered by health insurance and our billing department will be glad to help you determine which treatments and services are usually covered by insurance. Health Savings Accounts and Flexible Spending Accounts are often used as well to cover services provided by Progressive Medical Center.

Hormone Replacement Therapy Atlanta: Find out if you’re a candidate for Bioidentical Hormones!

The next step to finding solutions and correcting hormonal imbalance is to contact Progressive Medical Center to schedule an appointment today for a full work-up by one of our qualified practitioners to determine if bioidentical hormones are right for you! Let our staff of physicians in help you on the road to recovery! Contact us for more information on hormone replacement therapy in Atlanta, GA.

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