It is no surprise that as we age our bodies also change. Unpleasant symptoms that interfere with one’s quality of life that were once brushed off have been reliably attributed to hormonal imbalances.
Hormone Breakdown
What is Hormone Therapy?
Hormones are chemical messengers that share information between different organs in our bodies. In women, especially as they enter pier-menopause and menopause, a hormone imbalance can result in many symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats, trouble sleeping, weight gain, poor concentration, depression, irritability, mood swings, vaginal dryness, low libido, and osteoporosis. In men, a decline in testosterone called andropause may result in irritability, grumpiness, depression, weight gain, memory loss, fatigue, weakness, loss of energy, reduced libido, erectile dysfunction, enlarged prostate, and osteoporosis. Every one of these symptoms can have a negative effect on one’s life, but there is no need to suffer in silence – the Aurora Compounding Pharmacy can help.
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| Symptoms | due to hi E | due to lo E | fluctuations in E | due to hi P | due to lo P | fluctuations in P | due to hi T | due to lo T | due to hi C | due to lo C | fluctuations in C | due to hi TH | due to lo TH | fluctuations in TH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot flashes | yes | yes | yes | |||||||||||
| Night sweats | yes | yes | ||||||||||||
| Trouble sleeping | yes | yes | yes | |||||||||||
| Weight gain | yes | yes | yes | |||||||||||
| Depression | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | |||||||||
| Mood swings | yes | yes | ||||||||||||
| Vaginal dryness | yes | yes | ||||||||||||
| Low libido | yes | yes | yes | yes | ||||||||||
| Fatigue | yes | yes | yes | yes | ||||||||||
| Hair loss | yes | yes | yes | yes | ||||||||||
| Irritability | yes | yes |
As one can see in the above chart many of the symptoms that one experiences is not due to just the level of a single hormone but a combination of them. What are the functions of these hormones?
Estrogen
Estrogens are the primary female sex hormones that carry physiological messages to body organs and systems. They play an important role in stimulating the growth of reproductive tissue e.g. growth of the uterus and its lining, maintaining healthy bones by regulating the rate of bone breakdown and bone loss. Estrogens increase the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain preventing depression and insomnia while increasing concentration and maintaining sex drive, and helping to keep the cardiovascular system healthy.
Progesterone
Progesterone is the hormone required to help maintain pregnancy. It also increases the activity of thyroid hormone which increases metabolism which in turn utilizes stored fat for energy. Low progesterone as a result can lead to weight gain. In the brain, progesterone acts as a natural antidepressant as well as helping to reduce anxiety and insomnia by binding to GABA receptors. Inadequate levels can lead to mood changes.
Testosterone
Testosterone plays a major role in sex drive, muscle and bone mass, a sense of well being, mood and cognitive function.
Thyroid hormones
Thyroid hormones help to maintain metabolism and energy production. They have a mutually dependent relationship with cortisol levels.
As one can see there are many interactions between all these hormones and the right balance needs to be maintained for them to work properly. But how do we determine the levels of these hormones so that we can go about correcting the imbalances?
How We Can Help
How to Restore your Hormonal Balance
We can provide a home saliva-testing kit, the results of which will accurately highlight hormone imbalances. Next step is to develop a treatment plan with your healthcare provider. We can refer you to a physician specializing in customized natural hormone therapy. The Aurora Compounding Pharmacy can then create the custom prescribed bio-identical hormone replacement treatment that fits your individual hormone needs. Bio-identical natural hormones used in our products are plant-derived and have the same chemical structure as hormones produced by your own body. Plant-derived hormones include progesterone, estriol, estradiol, estrone, testosterone, DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) and pregnenolone. They can be prepared in a number of forms that are chosen for their suitability in allowing your body to effectively absorb and use the hormone being delivered. We make creams for topical or vaginal application, capsules and sublingual drops for oral use, and suppositories for vaginal use.
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You are unique. One size does not fit all. If you need help with restoring hormone balance your treatment should be unique as well. Your hormones are changing, your quality of life doesn’t have to.
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