Hormone Health
Finding Balance at All Stages
We tend to think of hormones linked to certain times in life, such as puberty, pregnancy, and the transition to menopause as hormone-fueled, but the truth is that our hormones influence the health of our bodies and minds every single day.
So what exactly are hormones? Hormones are special chemicals that travel through the bloodstream to send messages. These messages help to “turn on” or “turn off” cellular processes that control the following: Metabolism, homeostasis (internal balance), sexual function, sleep-wake cycle, & mood.
A hormonal imbalance, even when it’s minor, can cause major changes to your body.
Many women suffer with heavy, irregular periods, acne, migraines, and PMS every month or so when their cycle rolls around, and this is often due to a hormone imbalance known as estrogen dominance. This can look different for everyone but here are some of the signs:
heavy/painful periods
PMS
Headaches
decreased sex drive
bloating, mood swings
fatigue
anxiety & depression
breast tenderness
hormonal weight gain.
We offer hormone lab testing to check levels and it is essential that we test them at a specific time in your cycle. Based on your labs and symptoms, we offer personalized treatment plans and the option for bio-identical progesterone to help with cramping, heavy bleeding, and cycle duration. Jenna has extensive knowledge in hormone balancing and she will help you feel like yourself again!
MOTHERHOOD
To the moms out there, if you are postpartum, you may feel like you’re riding an emotional rollercoaster and never get off the ride! During pregnancy, your estradiol levels rise to 17,000-20,000 pg/mL ranges and your progesterone is usually well over 100.
Both estrogen and progesterone decline shortly after birth and these can cause postpartum depression and anxiety. Even when the physical body bounces back, the hormone imbalance can remain.
Low sex drive can also be a major concern for postpartum women, or maybe it was low even before getting pregnant. Testosterone is an important hormone for women’s bone density, muscle mass, cognition, mood, libido, and energy levels. When you are pregnant your testosterone level hovers around 120 and can decrease to below 10 within a short period of time after delivery. This may leave you feeling fatigued, irritable, and anxious just to name a few.
All women who have had a baby need to have their hormones checked and continually monitored with blood tests. Hormone replacement can be prescribed based on your levels and is safe for nursing mothers. Jenna has extensive knowledge in hormone replacement therapies, including bioidentical troches and creams to help alleviate your symptoms.
Overall, we need to rebalance the hormones to a state of internal equilibrium to ease this transition.
Menopause
Hot flashes, mood swings, vaginal dryness, irregular periods, night sweats, weight gain, low sex drive? Does this sound like you?
Every woman goes through menopause differently, but if you are suffering there are natural solutions we can recommend to help you through this process.
We use bio-identical estradiol and progesterone hormone replacement to help rebalance the body. Bioidentical hormones are extensively researched, and they have the exact chemical structure as the hormones your body produces naturally, differentiating them from synthetic hormones associated with negative side-effects.
Natural hormone replacement has amazing benefits:
Mimics your own natural hormones.
Improves your sexual health
Better energy
Enhances sleep
Decreases symptoms of menopause