Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) for Women in Boca Raton, FL

Hormones are essential for modulating all systemic functions in the human body, and they exist in a delicate balance. As we age, hormone level decline and often become out of balance – often with profound physical and psychobiological symptoms.

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) is used to restore more youthful hormone levels, so common aging issues like weight gain, lack of energy, poor memory, low libido, muscle loss or sleep problems can be relieved. Used in both men and women, BHRT has been around in one form or another for almost a century, tracing its roots back to the 1930s.

BHRT for women is especially helpful in addressing the low or imbalanced hormones that result from perimenopause, menopause and other conditions that create hormone decline or imbalance. As women transition through menopause, BHRT can alleviate intense symptoms like hot flashes, mood changes, vaginal atrophy, and more.

To schedule your consultation with Florida’s top Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy specialist, complete the form below or call us at (754) 247-0122 today!

What is Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy?

BHRT is a type of hormone replacement therapy that uses bioidentical hormones instead of conventional hormones. Bioidentical hormones are hormones designed to be molecularly identical and mimic the effect of the hormones produced by your body. BHRT hormones are made from plants like yams, flax, and soybeans, and can be easily customized to fit your specific needs – without the side effects of conventional hormone replacement therapy.

Menopause and Advancements in Hormone Replacement Therapy

Over 75 million women today are either in perimenopause, menopause, or post-menopause in the U.S. Every day, that number increases by 6000 more women. It’s estimated that 1.3 million women enter menopause in this country every year, and almost 50 million worldwide. By 2030, estimates suggest the world population of women – in menopause or post-menopause - will reach 1.2 billion.

Those kinds of numbers have put the issue of hormone replacement at center stage.

It is probably why hormone replacement is increasingly referred to as menopausal hormone replacement therapy (MHRT). Spurring more research, recent advances have reshaped the discussion of how hormone therapy is being prescribed and monitored - and even understood by today’s practitioners.

The thinking about hormone replacement therapy for women is changing.

While in the past, conventional medicine looked at menopause as a problem to be fixed - usually medicated with conventional hormones - what’s emerging now is a more holistic, evidence-based approach to addressing menopause with the focus on:

• Developing individualized treatment plans
• Looking beyond traditional pharmaceuticals
• Incorporating lifestyle modifications
• Utilizing non-medical treatments or therapies – from acupuncture to modulating the microbiome, detoxification, methylation, and more
• Increased education for women about their options and the alternative approaches that exist
• Employing advanced diagnostic tools for precise hormonal profile assessment
• Looking at new delivery methods
• Considering new estrogen monitoring techniques

The future appears to be catching up to where the thinking in functional medicine circles has been all along. As the research continues to evolve, these shifts will provide women with opportunities to adopt a more empowered role in their health and wellness during this period of transition in their lives.

What Types of Symptoms Can BHRT Address?

Marked changes in estrogen and other hormones occur during the menopausal transition in a woman’s life. Imbalances in these hormones can impact a woman’s libido, bone density, metabolism, sleep, cardiovascular function, mental health and immune system.

Produced in your ovaries and endocrine glands – including the thymus, hypothalamus, adrenal, parathyroid, and pituitary glands – these hormones operate in perfect balance. An imbalance can be caused by menopause or ovary removal, treatments like chemotherapy, or other medical conditions, from primary ovarian insufficiency to pelvic injury.

Whatever the cause of your hormonal imbalance, common symptoms can include:

• Hot flashes
• Irregular periods
• Vaginal dryness
• Reduction in sex drive
• Sleep irregularities
• Mood swings
• Increased weight
• Chills
• Night sweats
• Diminished breast size or fullness
• Slower metabolism
• Dry or thinning skin and hair

Many of these symptoms will begin during perimenopause, the period leading up to menopause. As menopause is reached, there are additional health concerns that may arise, including increased risk of developing osteoporosis and heart disease. The health concerns of post-menopausal women require very specialized expertise and care – and a precise balancing of essential hormones.

Understanding the Benefits of BHRT for Women

Among its many benefits, BHRT optimizes a woman’s biochemical and hormonal pathways by replacing ovarian and endocrine hormones that begin to decline as women transition into menopause. BHRT can thus alleviate the common menopausal symptoms listed above.

With plant-based Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy - the safest, most natural form of hormone replacement therapy available – you can boost your energy, memory, and libido, while lowering your risk of osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.

BHRT can be administered orally, vaginally, or via transdermal methods. These bioidentical hormones are available in creams, pellets, pills, injections, and more. They can be obtained ready-to-use and FDA-approved, or Dr. Borenstein can prescribe your bioidentical hormones to be compounded by a local pharmacist you trust.

Understanding How Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy Works

The course of BHRT treatment will vary with each individual patient. Primary treatment tools include comprehensive testing and optimizing hormone levels. At his functional medicine clinic in Boca Raton, FL, he can help you correct your hormonal imbalances by managing hormones like:

• Estrogen: Deficiency can decrease bone density, heart function and libido. Many of the most common menopausal symptoms can be attributed to a decline in estrogen levels.
• Progesterone: Deficiency causes headaches, mood swings, weight gain, and tender breasts.
• Testosterone: Because testosterone boosts energy, bone density, muscle mass, cardiovascular maintenance and libido, a testosterone deficiency can lead to a decline in any of those areas.
• DHEA: Deficiency can cause fatigue, depression, immune system dysfunction, dry skin, and low libido.

With BHRT for Women, Dr. Borenstein can rebalance whatever hormonal deficiency you may personally be experiencing.

What to Expect at Your BHRT Session

On your first visit, Dr. Borenstein will discuss your medical history, lifestyle, daily stressors, diet, exercise habits, and current medications.

He may also conduct blood tests to determine baseline levels of various hormones. Because the sex hormones in your bloodstream are bound to carrier proteins, they may be unavailable to target tissues, and not detectable in a blood test. For that reason, he may test your saliva to measure bioavailable hormones (the amount that your tissues are able to absorb). From your urine sample he may detect both free and total levels of all three types of estrogen. This test also shows how well you’re metabolizing and detoxifying your estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

Once he understands your exact levels, Dr. Borenstein will prescribe a customized amount of estrogen and testosterone in the form of a transdermal cream that you’ll apply to your thighs or arms. This delivery form avoids the first pass to the liver.

Your progesterone and DHEA may be delivered in either cream or capsule form. It may take a while to determine the appropriate form and dose for your body, as every woman’s skin and digestive track absorbs supplements differently.

For the vaginal dryness that accompanies menopausal changes, or to combat chronic yeast infections, Dr. Borenstein may also prescribe intravaginal bioidentical estrogen, which you will need to apply exactly as directed.

As with any medical treatment, results of BHRT Therapy will vary from patient to patient, depending on age, genetics, environmental conditions, and other health factors. Tobacco users and heavy alcohol drinkers may not experience the full range of BHRT benefits.

If you are struggling with symptoms of hormone imbalance, working with a doctor who understands the complexity of hormonal transitions and women’s reproductive health is essential. At Manhattan Integrative Medicine in Boca Raton, FL, we offer the most up-to-date testing and BHRT treatment, so you achieve comfort, renewed health and freedom from troublesome symptoms and health risks.

We recommend that you prepare a list of symptoms prior to your first consultation.

Request your consultation today.

Dr. David Borenstein is a top functional medicine practitioner in Florida who recognizes that each woman requires a treatment regimen tailored to her individual health profile and specific symptoms. For over 20 years, Dr. Borenstein has been helping women thrive throughout perimenopause, menopause and post-menopausal years.

Experience the benefits of Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy. Compile your symptoms checklist and call Manhattan Integrative Medicine in Boca Raton, FL at (754) 247-0122 or contact us online.

Serving patients in Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Jupiter, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Parkland, Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Coconut Creek, Coral Springs, Fort Lauderdale, Weston, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, Aventura, Miami and the surrounding Palm Beach, Broward and Dade County, Florida communities.