If you’re a woman undergoing the hormonal fluctuations that accompany perimenopause or menopause, you may wonder if you’re ever going to feel normal again. Though you’d originally considered HRT, all the studies that associate it with life-threatening conditions such as breast cancer and heart disease give you pause. While there’s a lot of talk now about bioidentical hormone pellets, is it really any safer?
At McDowell Mountain Gynecology in Scottsdale, Arizona, our aim is never to merely mask symptoms with medications but to restore the underlying imbalances or conditions that cause the symptoms to arise. Rachel Spieldoch, MD, FACOG and her dedicated team at McDowell Mountain Gynecology take a revolutionary approach to health care that’s integrative and practical. Here we share a few myths and facts about BHRT pellets so you can decide if it’s right for you.
Fact: No studies have shown that BHRT is unsafe. While HRT has been associated with an increased risk for breast cancer and heart disease, even some of those studies have been questioned because they included women who were already in poor health.
Unlike conventional HRT, which is created from mare’s urine, BHRT is synthesized from vegetable sources to mimic the structure of human hormones. Because BHRT is “bioidentical” to your own hormones, your body tolerates them more readily.
Fact: Menopause symptoms aren’t just an inconvenience; they’re detrimental to your overall health. Unbalanced hormones can cause severe symptoms such as:
If you can’t sleep because of night sweats or hot flashes, you may experience brain fog, cognitive difficulties, and daytime sleepiness that raises your risk for accidents. Too little circulating progesterone increases your risk for bone loss that leads to osteopenia and osteoporosis. Progesterone protects your bones and may be combined with estradiol to prevent or reverse bone loss.
We medical professionals at Harmony Clinics determine your current hormone levels with blood tests. Depending on the results, we create individualized BHRT recommendations to balance your hormones again.
Fact: Some forms of BHRT, such as time-released pellets that are inserted into your hip, are FDA-approved. All of the BHRT available at compounding laboratories comes from pharmaceutical companies that produce the BHRT powders in their laboratories. The difference between BHRT and HRT is that the dosage is based on your individual biology, rather than a standard, one-size-fits-all prescription.
Fact: At McDowell Mountain Gynecology, we’re committed to your ongoing health. That means we evaluate you at regular intervals to make sure your BHRT is giving you the benefits you’d hoped for and that you’re responding well to treatment. Depending on the results of our evaluation, we adjust the dosage or components of your BHRT.
When you’re on BHRT, you should feel happier and healthier. When your therapy is working optimally, you’ll experience clear benefits such as:
You may also have less or no bone loss once you’ve balanced your hormones with BHRT.
If you’d like to restore healthy hormonal balance with BHRT and avoid the consequences of unbalanced hormones, call McDowell Mountain Gynecology at 480-483-9011 or use the online booking form.
