Hormone therapy (HT), also known as hormone replacement therapy (HRT), involves using medications containing female hormones to supplement low hormone levels. It can help relieve unpleasant menopause symptoms and has additional health benefits for some women.
At Vitality Hormone Center, we offer customized women&39;s hormone therapy plans to help women in the Orem area regain balance and optimize health during perimenopause, menopause, and beyond. Our caring staff has extensive training and experience in hrt therapy.
We provide comprehensive care including lab testing to identify deficiencies, discussion of informed consent treatment options, medically-supervised therapy, and ongoing monitoring and support.
Below is more detail on common hormone therapy options we offer, reasons to consider treatment, what to expect, lifestyle factors that support outcomes, and local Orem resources that may serve as helpful compliments to the customized plans we develop with each woman.
We mainly focus on helping women optimize levels of estrogen and/or testosterone, as these hormones often decline significantly during the menopausal transition.
However, we also offer treatment for other hormonal imbalances as appropriate after thorough lab testing and consultation.
Estrogen therapy replaces estrogen lost during menopause to help eliminate uncomfortable symptoms. It remains the most effective treatment option for hot flashes and night sweats which disrupt sleep quality for up to 80% of women during the menopausal transition.
Estrogen therapy comes in various forms including pills, patches, gels/creams, vaginal preparations, and injectable/implantable pellets. We will help determine the optimal delivery method for each woman based on lifestyle factors, medical history, symptom profile, and personal preference.
While less widely recognized, testosterone therapy for women has grown in popularity due to evidence of multiple benefits:
We offer testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) for women including gels/creams, injectable testosterone, and subcutaneous implant pellets that release steady testosterone over 3-6 months. Pellet implants avoid the need for frequent application and help maintain stable hormone levels but require a quick office procedure for insertion and removal. We will advise you on the pros and cons of each option.
An underactive or hypothyroid condition becomes more common with age and can produce symptoms that overlap with menopause. We test thyroid function in all patients and can prescribe thyroid medication if indicated. Supporting healthy thyroid activity often improves energy, mood, weight management and can enhance quality of life significantly.
At Vitality Hormone Center, we mainly use bioidentical hormones which are structurally identical to the hormones naturally produced by the female body. Common examples include estradiol, progesterone and testosterone.
There is some evidence that bioidentical hormones more closely mimic natural fluctuations across the menstrual cycle compared to older synthetic hormone formulations. This may translate to better safety and tolerability for some women.
While every woman has a unique risk/benefit profile, the following groups often stand to benefit from professional management of changing hormone levels:
Perimenopause refers to the months or years leading up to the final menstrual period when ovarian hormone production becomes less consistent. It is often marked by worsening PMS, short and/or heavy periods,Skipped periods and hot flashes may appear during this time.
Estrogen and/or progesterone therapy started during the perimenopause can stabilize cycles plus provide symptom relief. Careful cycle tracking helps identify the optimal hormone regimen.
Menopause is reached after 12 months without a period during which time estrogen levels decrease by up to 90%. This often brings debilitating symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, sexual dysfunction, sleep disruption, mood changes, difficulty focusing, weight gain and accelerated aging.
Estrogen therapy (ET) and combined estrogen plus testosterone therapy (ETT) started early in menopause can effectively eliminate these quality-of-life impairing symptoms while conveying powerful health benefits if continued long-term.
While less common, some women under age 40 struggle with chronically low testosterone. This may present as persistent fatigue, mental fog, low libido, inadequate muscle tone despite exercise, increased belly fat, and lack of motivation/sense of wellbeing.
TRT can be life-changing for such women yet unfortunately the condition often goes undiagnosed. We handle TRT for younger patients differently than middle aged and older women to avoid unwanted side effects.
Hormone therapy remains beneficial into the late 60’s and 70’s for symptom relief and long term health promotion purposes detailed below. It can also help offset age-related testosterone decline in both sexes.
Adjusted hormone regimens for seniors may use lower doses, altered delivery methods and extra monitoring. But patient quality of life and function often improve remarkably on therapy.
Since optimal hormone levels differ considerably between individuals, we cannot diagnose a deficiency or excess purely based on symptoms. Comprehensive lab testing is required which we specialize in interpreting.
Common tests include:
Hormone therapy can help transgender individuals align their physical characteristics with their gender identity. While the emotional benefits are well-known, research has found that hormone therapy also leads to changes in aspects of visual and verbal memory, visuospatial ability, and mental rotation ability in transgender individuals. The reasons behind these cognitive effects are still being investigated.
Research increasingly confirms hormone therapy started before or soon after the final period brings significant near and long-term benefits for most women. These extend well beyond symptom relief.
For the majority of women, menopause heralds multiple physical and psychological symptoms that impair function and degrade personal health. Common complaints treated effectively with hormone therapy include:
By restoring balance among estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, we can eliminate or reduce the bothersome frequency and intensity of these symptoms for most women.
Research shows conscientious hormone therapy started before age 60 or within 10 years of the final period also lowers risks for:
The overall disease prevention effects of thoughtful hormone therapy are so profound that life expectancy rises by over two years for the average woman entering treatment in her 50's.
Restoring hormonal balance also leads to a host of life-enhancing effects beyond symptom relief and disease prevention including:
In short, thoughtful hormone therapy allows women to look great, feel great and function at their best across the second half of life!
To amplify the wide ranging benefits of therapy, we educate women on easy lifestyle adjustments that promote healthy hormone balance naturally. Beneficial strategies include:
Choosing plenty of colorful vegetables, high fiber fruits, nuts/seeds, omega-3 fish, beans/legumes, herbs/spices, green tea and 100% dark chocolate supplies the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients essential for hormone activity and detoxification. These foods also have strong anti-inflammatory effects to offset modern lifestyle factors that commonly disrupt endocrine function.
Engaging muscles vigorously on most days powerfully stimulates testosterone activity while improving insulin sensitivity critical for balanced estrogen. Just 30 minutes daily fast walking, cycling or light strength training significantly benefits hormone physiology long-term. We suggest women pick activities they enjoy and focus on gradual progress vs high intensity. Yoga, pilates and dance are also excellent moderate movement therapies.
Untamed psychological stress over-triggers the “fight or flight” response flooding the body with cortisol and other inflammatory hormones that disrupt reproduction. Eye movement therapies, meditation/mindfulness practices, laughter/play, music/movement, saunas, massage and loving human/pet interactions all help reset healthy balance. We teach patients specific be-stressing tools best suited to them.
Getting at least 7-8 hours high quality sleep in cool, pitch black settings allows critical nighttime hormone repair and rejuvenation that pay dividends across waking life. Establishing a consistent pre-bed wind down routine free of electronics, the news or intense exercise helps activate restorative nervous system modes.
Pollutants ubiquitous in modern environments exert an anti-estrogenic effect plus strain liver detoxification pathways crucial for clean hormone breakdown and removal. Minimizing exposure to industrial chemicals in foods/consumer goods, mercury from seafood, smoking and medications when possible protects hormone physiology.
For interested patients, we offer more extensive personalized nutrition, exercise, stress management and environmental medicine consults to identify and correct subtle lifestyle factors that commonly hinder hormone optimization unique to each woman. Small tweaks often yield big patient improvements!
The pleasant, scenic city of Orem lies next to Utah Lake at the base of Mount Timpanogos offering a supportive environment for positive lifestyle changes that enhance hormone therapy outcomes.
We encourage women to take full advantage of the area’s many health-promoting amenities during treatment including:
Several high quality laboratories in Orem provide sensitive hormone testing services critical for therapy fine tuning:
Orem boasts numerous spas and wellness centers to promote healthy stress relief and relaxation known to benefit hormone physiology and mental health:
For women looking to upgrade nutrition, many eateries in town feature clean, organic fare to satisfy without provoking inflammation:
Being active outdoors has scientifically-proven benefits for body, mind and spirit. We encourage patients to explore Orem’s many high quality recreation offerings including:
Between our state of the art hormone restoration services and Orem’s many supportive wellness amenities, women have access to a complete toolkit for successfully transitioning through menopause while enjoying life to its fullest. We look forward to guiding each patient to her optimal path!
