Do you feel like you’ve “lost your spark” or feel like someone or something has taken over your body?

Do you just not feel like yourself anymore? Do you cringe when you hear the words, perimenopause or menopause?

Don’t despair we can help!

Many women have all of these feelings and loathe those two words, but it doesn’t have to be this way! We can help you feel like yourself again and alleviate your troublesome symptoms! Thanks to advanced medicine there is help available! Our bodies are complex, marvelous and miraculous machines. To keep them in tune and running at their best we need our hormones, the fuel for our bodies, to be at optimal levels. When these hormones drop our body lets us know that something is definitely not right…

As we age, a woman’s ovaries gradually begin to make less estrogen. The decline usually starts in our 40‘s but can begin in our 30‘s or even earlier. This is considered Perimenopause and we stay in this phase until our ovaries stop releasing eggs. This is when we are considered to be in Menopause. During the last one to two years of Perimenopause there is often a significant drop in estrogen that contributes to the symptoms of Menopause. However, other hormones, including testosterone and progesterone, play a part in the issues we have too.

Women produce testosterone in their ovaries, adrenal glands, and peripheral tissues. It is released into the bloodstream by the ovaries and adrenal glands. The level of testosterone in our bodies fluctuates throughout our life time. In fact, levels can change within our monthly cycle and even throughout the day and night. Because the ovaries and adrenal glands are the major producer of testosterone, if a women has had her ovaries removed or if her adrenal glands are not functioning properly there will be a sharp decline in testosterone. Studies have shown that having a hysterectomy, even without the removal of the ovaries, also drastically reduces testosterone. Stress, exposure to toxins in our environment, and some medications can all wreak havoc on our adrenal glands and interfere with the production of crucial hormones. As we approach menopause testosterone naturally decreases, but even after menopause our body should produce some testosterone, however with all of these contributing factors, many women are lacking testosterone. This can happen even in their 30‘s and 40‘s and the incidence goes up with age. Some of the main indicators of low testosterone in women are low libido, vaginal dryness, painful intercourse, lack of energy, muscle weakness and atrophy as well as depression.

Progesterone is another key hormone that interacts with the other hormones in the body. Progesterone is key hormone in pregnancy, but also keeps the other hormones “in check” throughout our lives. Symptoms of low progesterone in women include irregular menstrual cycles, headaches, mood changes, anxiety, depression and difficulty sleeping. Progesterone is often thought of as our calming hormone.

If our body does not have a balance of our key hormones, including thyroid, estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone one hormone may become “dominant,” usually this is estrogen. We believe for optimal health and for reducing the risk of certain types of cancer, it is best to keep the key hormones balanced. (Please see our section on Bio-identical Hormone Therapy and Educational Articles to learn more)

Symptoms of hormone imbalance, perimenopause and menopause may include:

  • Weight gain
  • Depression
  • Reduced sex drive
  • Lack of energy and motivation
  • Mood swings/ irritability
  • Pain with intercourse
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Vaginal dryness
  • Muscle weakness and/ or atrophy
  • Poor concentration
  • Decreased sexual response (lack of orgasm)
  • Loss of energy and motivation
  • Cloudy thinking
  • Reduced sensitivity of breasts
  • Loss of bone density
  • Hot Flashes
  • Reduced sensitivity of clitoris
  • Joint pain
  • Brittle nails and hair
  • Irregular menstrual cycles and/or heavy periods
  • Night sweats
  • Chills
  • Loss of breast fullness
  • Hair loss
  • Gallbladder problems
  • Breast tenderness
  • Changes cholesterol levels
  • Vaginal and bladder problems
  • Fibrocystic breasts

It is very important to see a qualified provider that specializes in hormones to evaluate your situation. We will examine your health history, discuss your current issues in detail and perform laboratory tests to carefully evaluate your unique situation before deciding if any type of a treatment plan is warranted or not. We review the results of your tests with you and look at the key hormone levels in your body to try to get to the root cause of your symptoms. If we find an imbalance we may suggest life style and diet changes, help you find ways to manage your stress, and may recommend supplements or prescribe bio-identical hormones to help you achieve optimal levels. These medications may be given in the form of a capsule, gel, cream, lozenge or a pellet that is placed under your skin. We will work with you to come up with a plan that is tailored to you and your needs.

Our goal is to help you live your BEST life at any age!

Reclaim your balance, reclaim your energy, reclaim your life!

Take the first step by calling us today to set up an appointment!

(*Note: We are in network with most medical insurance plans)