The El Paso Hormone Replacement Therapy Center offers relief to women who need help with hormonal imbalances.
Most women go through life without significant estrogen or progesterone issues until they enter the perimenopausal stage in their mid-to-late 40s. Also known as menopausal transition, this transition stage usually lasts about four years and is characterized by a dramatic drop in hormone levels.
During menopause, a woman’s reproductive system gradually shuts down, causing the estrogen and progesterone levels to plummet. As the hormone levels drop, women are besieged by a host of uncomfortable symptoms. Seeking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) helps restore balance and alleviate the painful symptoms.
Hormonal Imbalances in Women
Menopause, which occurs in women between 45 and 55 years, is the leading cause of hormonal imbalances. The imbalances result from insufficient levels of estrogen and progesterone.
Estrogen is crucial to the female reproductive cycle. The ovaries and adrenal glands produce the sex hormone to keep the vaginal wall and the uterus lining healthy. Progesterone helps prepare the womb for fetus attachment during pregnancy and shedding the lining of the ovaries and uterus during menstruation.
What Causes Estrogen Imbalance?
Estrogen levels may fluctuate due to various factors such as puberty, pregnancy, aging, menopause, obesity, and certain health conditions.
Signs and symptoms of estrogen imbalances include:
- Hot flashes
- Irregular periods
- Vaginal dryness
- Night sweats
- Decreased libido
- Weight gain
- Noncancerous breast lumps
- Decreased libido
- Skin dryness
What Causes Progesterone Imbalances?
Progesterone levels may fluctuate, driven by a miscarriage, menopause, aging, or a problem with the ovaries.
Signs and symptoms of progesterone imbalances include:
- Tender breasts
- Abdominal pain
- Vaginal dryness
- Headaches
- Muscle loss
- Decreased libido
- Muscle loss
- Spotting
- Declining mental focus
There’s an overlap between the symptoms of estrogen and progesterone deficiency and menopause because their levels drop significantly during this transition.
What is Hormone Replacement Therapy?
Hormone replacement therapy is a medical treatment that helps rectify hormonal imbalances in women, especially during menopause. The procedure entails administering artificial estrogen and progesterone to supplement their declining levels. Doctors often prescribe HRT to help patients ease the uncomfortable symptoms that result from low hormone levels.
HRT is commonly associated with menopause because of the significant drop in estrogen and progesterone production. A woman’s reproductive system gradually ceases to function, leading to plummeting hormone levels.
Hormone replacement therapy helps supplement the declining hormone to ease the symptoms and provide relief.
Types of Hormone Replacement Therapy
Typically, there are three types of hormone replacement therapy—estrogen-only, progesterone-only, and combined estrogen-progestin therapy.
- Estrogen-only therapy (ET): This is recommended for women who’ve undergone a hysterectomy—surgical removal of the uterus. Estrogen may cause cell overgrowth in the endometrium, leading to uterine cancer.
- Progesterone-only (PT): This HRT is recommended for women with an intact uterus and doesn’t require estrogen supplementation.
- Combined estrogen-progestin therapy (EPT): Doctors prescribe the combined treatment to women whose wombs are intact to prevent uterine cancer. Progesterone protects the uterus lining from the potential risk posed by estrogen-only therapy.
Hormone replacement therapy is administered as oral tablets, transdermal patches, topical creams, vaginal preparations, injections, or implants.
Use Cases of Hormone Replacement Therapy
Hormonal therapy helps alleviate the painful and uncomfortable symptoms wrought by the menopausal changes. Some of the common HTR use cases include:
- Relieving menopausal symptoms: HRT helps alleviate the bothersome symptoms women experience during menopause. It lessens the intensity and frequency of night sweats and hot flashes.
- Preventing osteoporosis: HRT helps protect post-menopausal women from osteoporosis, a condition that makes them susceptible to bone fractures. Therapy increases estrogen, which helps maintain bone health and density while preventing bone loss.
- Prevent heart disease: HRT helps lower the heart disease risk factors in women with early onset menopause. Women who experience menopause before they’re 40 years old are more susceptible to coronary heart disease due to lower estrogen levels.
- Improving sexual health: HRT helps alleviate vaginal dryness, which often leads to decreased sexual desires and painful intercourse. Restoring estrogen levels improves lubrication and genital health, and enhances sexual function while boosting a woman’s libido.
- Gender-affirmation therapy: HRT helps transgender patients transition to their preferred gender identity alongside other medical treatment options, including surgery.
Doctors often prescribe HRT to counter the effects of lower estrogen and progesterone levels in women of all ages.
Benefits of Hormone Replacement Therapy
Hormone therapy helps improve a woman’s quality of life by easing the uncomfortable symptoms associated with hormonal imbalances. HRT benefits include:
- Reduced symptoms of menopause
- Balanced hormones
- Enhanced bone health
- Improved genital health
- Enhanced sexual function
- Increased libido
- Improved cardiovascular health
- Enhanced muscle mass and strength
- Lowered risk of colorectal cancer
- Lowered susceptibility to dementia
These are some of the benefits that result from using HRT to counter dwindling hormone levels in the body.
Common Risks and Side Effects of Hormone Replacement Therapy
Like with any medical treatment, HRT carries some risks and potential side effects.
Risks of HRT
Long-term use of HRT comes with some risks, including:
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Breast cancer
- Blood clots in the lungs or legs
The Risks of HRT
As with most medications, women who use hormone therapy may experience some side effects, including:
- Irregular spotting
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding
- Mood swings
- Breast tenderness
- Indigestion
- Nausea
The risks and side effects associated with hormone replacement therapy often depend on how it is administered.
HRT in El Paso With PeakPerfoMAX
Look no further than PeakPerfoMAX for world-class treatment options if you need hormone replacement therapy in El Paso. Our El Paso Hormone Replacement Therapy Center provides exceptional HRT services to improve your health and wellness from the comfort of your home. Our skilled medical professionals will create personalized treatment plans that suit your medical needs while complementing your lifestyle.
Is HRT suitable for you? The El Paso HRT center specialists can help make an informed decision.
Book a session and speak to a specialist at PeakPerfoMAX today!
