Complete Primary Health Care coverage for an annual fee of $495

IN THE NEWS
READ ALL ABOUT THE TRENDS AND BUZZ FROM THE PROAM TEAM
December 20, 2022

Is Hormone Therapy Right for You? Benefits, side effects.

Category: Health Care

The hormones produced by the endocrine glands control the functions of the body. The endocrine system distributes hormones through the bloodstream to communicate with the organs and tissues. The cause of a problem in the body may be due to an imbalance in hormones, not an illness, infection, or injury. Therefore, you should go through hormone replacement therapy.

Treating hormone imbalances is often carried out by healthcare providers using integrative holistic medicine. Hormone replacement therapy may be an ideal solution to a hormonal imbalance caused by either a surplus or an insufficient amount of hormones secreted into the bloodstream.

 

What Is Hormone Therapy?

Hormone therapy is a cancer treatment method in which certain hormones are removed, blocked, or added to the body. It is also known as endocrine treatment or hormonal therapy.

Some cancers use the body’s hormones to stimulate their growth, which is why hormone treatment may be suggested. It is critical to understand that cancer hormone therapy does not refer to menopausal or hormone replacement therapy. These therapies are intended to alleviate the symptoms of menopause.

 

What Does Hormone Therapy Do?

Hormone treatments alter the number of hormones in your body in various ways. You could have testing to check if your cancer is susceptible to hormones. Your doctor may advise hormone treatment to:

  • Stop the body from producing a hormone.
  • Modify the way a hormone functions in the body.
  • Prevent a hormone from attaching to cancer cells

What is Hormone Imbalance? What Does It Do?

Hormones control everything, including sleep schedules, metabolic activity, and hunger. Therefore, you can create a hormonal imbalance if you do not stay on top of your diverse physiological needs, from sleep to nutrition. Additionally, as we age, various life stages can cause changes in our hormones.

A hormonal imbalance can result in stress, a raised or lowered body temperature, and reproductive system issues. The body’s endocrine system is so precise that even a minor imbalance in hormone secretion can significantly impact how we feel.

 

Hormone Therapy for Men

Hormone replacement treatment is a bit misleading. It is usual for men’s testosterone levels to decline as they age. As a result, hormone treatment does not compensate for anything inherently lacking.

Hormone treatment can help some men who have abnormally low testosterone levels. Hypogonadism, for instance, can result in abnormally low testosterone levels. It is a testicular malfunction that stops the body from creating the appropriate quantity of testosterone.

However, the normal decline of this hormone in males has no more significant impact on general health than the aging process. Experts differ on the importance of a fall in testosterone levels. They also disagree on the health advantages of hormone treatment in combating the natural aging process in males, particularly given the hazards.

 

Types of Hormone Therapy for Men

If your doctor recommends testosterone treatment, you have numerous alternatives. These are some examples:

  • Intramuscular testosterone injections. These are administered by your doctor every two to three weeks into the tissues of your buttocks.
  • Testosterone patches. These are applied daily to your back, arms, buttocks, or abdominal muscles. Make sure that the application sites are rotated.
  • Topical testosterone gel. It is applied to your shoulders, arms, or abdominal muscles daily.

 

Hormone Replacement Therapy for Women

Hormone replacement therapy is a treatment that includes female hormones. The drug is used to compensate for the estrogen that your body ceases to produce throughout menopause. Estrogen, progestin (progesterone), or both are used in hormone replacement therapy. Sometimes testosterone is mixed in.

Hormone treatment is commonly used to treat menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and vaginal pain. Hormone treatment has also been shown to improve bone loss and fracture risk in postmenopausal women.

 

Types of Hormone Therapy for Menopause

Hormone treatment (HT) is classified into two types:

  • Estrogen Therapy. Estrogen is given alone. Doctors frequently recommend a modest amount of estrogen taken daily as a tablet or patch. Estrogen can also be provided as a cream, vaginal ring, gel, or spray. You should take the smallest amount of estrogen necessary to alleviate menopausal symptoms and prevent osteoporosis.
  • EPT (Estrogen, Progesterone, and Progestin Hormone Therapy). This type of HT, also known as combination treatment, combines estrogen and progesterone.

 

Commonly Postmenopausal Hormones

The list below includes different types of postmenopausal hormones:

  • Estrogen includes pills, vaginal rings, creams, sprays, vaginal tablets, and patches.
  • Combination EPT including patches and pills.
  • Vaginal dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) like vaginal insert

 

Forms of Hormone Replacement Therapy for Menopause

When combining estrogen and progesterone, your doctor may recommend one of the following regimens:

When you first enter menopause, cyclical hormone treatment is frequently suggested.

  • For 25 days, you receive estrogen as a tablet or a patch.
  • Between days 10 and 14, progestin is taken.
  • For the remaining 25 days, you take estrogen and progestin combined.
  • For 3 to 5 days, you do not take any hormones.
  • With cyclic treatment, you may experience some monthly bleeding.

Combined therapy is when you take estrogen and progestin together every day.

  • You may have strange bleeding when starting or transitioning to this HT regimen.
  • The majority of women stop bleeding within a year.

If you have serious symptoms or are at high risk of osteoporosis, your physician may recommend additional medications. To increase your sex desire, you might take testosterone, a male hormone.

 

How is Hormone Therapy Performed?

Hormone treatment can be administered in a variety of ways. They are as follows:

Oral hormone therapy. Some hormone treatments can be taken orally as a tablet, capsule, or liquid. Many oral hormone therapies can be prescribed by doctors, purchased from a pharmacy, and taken home daily. If you have questions about taking your prescription at home, consult with your healthcare provider.

Injected hormone therapy. This is when hormone treatment is administered as a shot. These injections may be given to you in your arm, leg, hip, or belly. They can be administered intramuscularly or subcutaneously. Hormone injections can be administered at a clinic or doctor’s office. Your medical staff may also educate you on administering the injections at home.

Ablation surgery. Sometimes the removal of an organ that produces particular hormones is advised. For instance, as part of prostate cancer therapy, the testicles might have to be removed to lower testosterone levels. This is known as bilateral orchiectomy. Another instance is when the ovaries are eliminated as part of breast cancer therapy to reduce estrogen production. This is known as ovarian ablation. Surgical ablation is performed at a hospital or specialized medical facility.

 

Benefits of Taking Hormone Replacement Therapy

Hormone treatment (HT) is used to treat menopausal symptoms such as:

  • Flashes of heat.
  • Vaginal dryness can lead to uncomfortable intercourse.
  • Other troublesome menopausal symptoms include night sweats and dry, itchy skin.

Other health advantages of using HT include:

  • Reduced chances of developing osteoporosis and fracturing a bone.
  • Some women reported improved mood and general mental well-being.
  • Reduced tooth loss.
  • Reduced risk of colon cancer
  • Diabetes risk is reduced.
  • Joint pains have improved somewhat.
  • The lower mortality rate for women in their 50s who use hormone treatment.

 

Risks of Testosterone Therapy

The major disadvantage of testosterone hormone treatment is its side effects. Some of the adverse effects are modest, while others are hazardous. Minor possible hormone therapy side effects include:

  • Retaining fluid
  • Acne
  • Heightened urination

The following are more possible side effects:

  • expansion of the breasts
  • reduced testicle size
  • infertility
  • deterioration of pre-existing sleep apnea
  • elevated cholesterol levels
  • reduced sperm count
  • increased red blood cell count

An increase in the number of red blood cells can result in the following:

  • Pain and discomfort in muscles
  • Elevated blood pressure
  • Vision blur
  • Chest discomfort
  • Blood clots in your arteries

 

Risks of Hormone Replacement Therapy

Hormone replacement treatment with an estrogen-progestin tablet raised the risk of some severe illnesses in the largest clinical investigation to date, including:

  • Stroke
  • Heart problems
  • Clots in the blood
  • Cancer of the breast

Subsequent research has indicated that these hormone therapy side effects differ based on the following:

Age. Women who start hormone treatment at age 60 or later, or more than 10 years after menopause, are at a higher risk of the illnesses mentioned above. However, if hormone treatment is initiated before 60 or during the first ten years following menopause, the advantages appear to exceed the dangers.

Hormone treatment type. The hazards of hormone treatment depend largely on whether estrogen is administered alone or in combination with progestin and the amount and kind of estrogen used.

Medical history. Your family history and personal medical history are all significant considerations when deciding whether hormone replacement therapy is right for you.

You and your doctor should consider these risks when deciding whether hormone therapy is right for you.

 

Hormone Replacement Therapy and Weight Loss

You may correct your hormone imbalance and regain your capacity to lose weight by simply refilling the hormones you’ve lost. Many patients seek hormone replacement treatment to aid in weight reduction, restore lost hormones and promote enhanced energy and metabolism.

However, not all hormones are made equal; thus, doctors advise choosing a hormone replacement therapy that employs bioidentical hormones instead of synthetic hormones. Bioidentical hormones are chosen since they are designed to have the same chemical structure and biological action as your body’s hormones. In addition, according to research, bioidentical hormones may be safer and have fewer adverse effects.

 

What Hormones Help You Lose Weight?

When you understand how different bioidentical hormones impact how your body manages your weight, you can see why hormone replacement treatment may aid in weight reduction. When combined with a good diet and regular exercise, these hormones can help you lose weight:

  • Testosterone
  • Estrone
  • Progesterone
  • DHEA
  • Human Growth Hormone (HGH)
  • Insulin
  • Incretin
  • Pregnenolone

You can get your hormones restored to normal levels and your weight reduction back on track by replacing your optimal quantities of these hormones with bioidentical hormone replacement treatment.

 

Hormone Replacement Therapy Near Me in Las Vegas

The decision to use hormone treatment must be very customized. Hormone treatment is not appropriate for everyone. You can discuss the risks and advantages of hormone treatment with our healthcare experts at ProAm during an appointment. We help you handle all the concerns and answer all the questions before making the best selection for you. We consider your age, personal medical history, family history, and the severity of your menopausal symptoms before recommending a certain treatment.

 

Hormone Therapy Clinic In Las Vegas

Hormone replacement therapy can be an effective treatment for men and women who have abnormally low hormone levels. But, it is not without danger. These hazards may outweigh the advantages if you’re thinking about hormone treatment to compensate for a natural fall in testosterone levels.

ProAm is proud to announce that it has started conducting hormone replacement therapy in Las Vegas. As a result, men and women who have breast cancer, menopause, testicular cancer, etc., can get the proper treatment they deserve in our facilities. Please contact us at 800-674-9515 with any questions or to schedule an appointment. You can also make an online appointment.