Often, it’s not until something is missing that you realize just how important it was, which is certainly the case with your reproductive hormones. Fatigue, decline in sexual health, weight changes — these are just a few of the side effects that a reproductive hormone imbalance can have on either gender.
To restore balance to your life, our team here at Advanced Surgeons offers Biote® bioidentical replacement hormone treatment (BRHT). Here’s a look at whether you might be a good candidate for this innovative health and wellness treatment.
When a woman's hormones are out of balance
To determine whether BRHT is right for you, it’s helpful to look at some of the more common side effects of a hormone imbalance in both women and men.
We’re going to start with women because the issue is more inevitable as all women pass through menopause and experience a precipitous drop in their estrogen and progesterone levels.
If you’re making the transition through menopause, like millions of women before you, you may be experiencing a wide range of side effects, including:
- Hot flashes and night sweats, which affect 75% of menopausal and postmenopausal women
- Vaginal dryness, which affects more than half of women
- Fatigue
- Weight gain
- Anxiety and mood swings
- Thinning hair
- Bone loss
This list is by no means comprehensive, because no two women experience the same journey through menopause.
Low testosterone in men
Men don’t experience the sudden drop in their reproductive hormones (testosterone), as women do, but levels can drop over time. For example, up to half of men have low testosterone (low T) by the time they reach the age of 80.
That said, due to growing rates of diabetes and obesity, low T is becoming increasingly common among younger men.
The side effects of low T in men typically include:
- Fatigue
- Loss of libido
- Erectile dysfunction
- Loss of body hair
- Reduced muscle mass
- Weight gain
- Mood swings
Again, this list isn’t complete, as low levels of testosterone can have different effects on men.
Balancing your hormones
If your reproductive hormone levels are low, it makes sense that hormone replacement therapy is the most effective approach for resolving your symptoms.
With Biote, we’re able to deliver bioidentical hormones into your body using an innovative pellet system. The term “bioidentical,” means that the hormones are chemically identical to the ones that your body naturally produces.
After we run blood tests to determine whether you have a hormone deficiency and to what extent, we can formulate a good replacement therapy with the Biote pellets.
We place the Biote pellets just under your skin, where they slowly release hormones into your system for about four months, at which point you return for more pellets.
If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms we describe above and you’d like to determine whether you’re a candidate for Biote BHRT, your first step is to contact one of our offices in Valhalla, Carmel, or Poughkeepsie, New York, to schedule a consultation.