Menopause is a natural transition that all women go through, marking the end of menstrual cycles and fertility. The average age for menopause is 51, but it can occur earlier or later.
Key signs and symptoms include hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, mood changes, trouble sleeping, and slowing metabolism. These can significantly impact quality of life. Hormone changes also increase risks for certain health conditions like osteoporosis and heart disease.
Getting an accurate menopause diagnosis is important. This generally involves having tests to measure hormone levels, along with tracking menstrual cycles and symptoms. Common tests include:
Doctors also consider age, health history, and family history when diagnosing menopause. Tracking cycles and symptoms for 12 months can confirm when periods have stopped permanently.
The most effective treatment for relieving menopausal symptoms is hormone therapy (HT), including estrogen alone or combined estrogen and progestogen. Benefits include:
Estrogen helps stabilize serotonin and endorphins which improves moods. It also maintains collagen which keeps skin, hair, nails, muscles and tissues healthy.
Other therapies like antidepressants, gabapentin or clonidine may help some symptoms. However HT remains the gold standard treatment.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) restores estrogen levels closer to premenopausal ranges. This is the most physiologic way to treat menopausal symptoms.
There are three main types of estrogen used:
Estradiol is generally preferred as it precisely matches human estrogen. It comes in oral tablets, transdermal patches, gels, sprays, rings and pellet implants. Many prefer non-oral routes to avoid first pass liver metabolism.
Estrogen generally needs to be balanced by progestogens like progesterone. Otherwise estrogen can overstimulate tissues leading to abnormal cell growths. Natural progesterone is made from plants like soy or yams. There are also synthetic progestins.
There are a variety of cycle regimens to choose from including:
Butterfly Hormone Center physicians tailor regimens based on an individual's needs and risk factors.
In addition to relieving menopausal symptoms, benefits of HRT include:
The earlier HRT is started the more protection it provides from age-related declines. Healthy lifestyle also amplifies benefits.
There are some increased health risks from HRT to consider:
Doctors minimize risks by using bioidentical hormones, optimizing doses, testing hormone levels and monitoring health on an ongoing basis.
HRT is generally not recommended for those with:
The Butterfly Hormone Center Menopause Center specializes in effectively diagnosing and treating menopause using cutting-edge hormone balance protocols personalized for your unique needs.
Reasons to choose Butterfly Hormone Center for your menopause care:
Our menopause practitioners have advanced certifications and continue education on the latest science in hormone restoration:
We also collaborate with experts in urogynecology, cardiology, sleep health, nutrition, fitness and more to take a whole-person approach.
The process of starting hormone replacement therapy includes:
We partner with you at each stage to understand preferences, track progress, and modify plans as needed.
State-of-the-art hormone testing enables us to pinpoint imbalances and customize effective treatment plans. We use testing services from leading national labs that offer innovative platforms measuring a diverse range of sex and adrenal hormones along with key biomarkers.
For testing resources close to Tennessee Colony, we recommend:
Intervening at early stages of hormone decline provides more protection than waiting until severe symptoms manifest:
We encourage women to track cycles and symptoms, get tested, and consider treatment at first signs of hormone shifts - even years before periods cease.
Studies show that practicing yoga can help alleviate many of the symptoms associated with menopause, including hot flashes, insomnia, and mood swings. The combination of physical movement, deep breathing, and mindfulness meditation in yoga targets both the physiological and psychological aspects of menopausal discomfort in a drug-free way.
We invite you to have an initial consult to explore your health goals:
Call Butterfly Hormone Center at 555-132-456 or request an appointment online to get started.
We look forward to helping guide your transition into your next life phase!
