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Menopause

As you approach menopause, your hormone levels change and trigger a variety of disruptive symptoms such as weight gain, fatigue, and irritability.

The functional medicine physicians at FoundationMED in Raleigh, North Carolina, offer menopause management services including customized bioidentical hormone treatments to restore your hormonal balance and health. Call FoundationMED or schedule a consultation online today to learn more.

In the United States, there are more than 45 million women in some stage of menopause, and close to 4 million more women will experience menopausal symptoms this year. Menopause is defined as ovarian shutdown or no more estrogen or progesterone production by the ovaries. Once a year goes by without menstrual bleeding, menopause is said to be present. In menopause, estrogen and progesterone levels are dramatically decreased but are not completely gone. Incredibly, the peri-menopausal period can start up to 15 years before actual menopause is seen.

It is clear that hormones play a crucial role in physiologic processes that maintain health and wellness (homeostasis). Hormones are proteins that are produced by endocrine organs such as the pituitary, adrenal, thyroid, testes, and ovary. Imbalances in the true end-organ sex hormones, such as estrogen, progesterone and testosterone very often lead to rather distressing symptoms and disease.

Estrogen

Estrogen Explained

Estrogen is made in the ovaries but is also made in the corpus luteum, adrenal glands, and fat cells. Once the ovaries stop producing estrogen on a regular basis, the adrenal glands become the main source of estrogen (primarily as E1).

Estrogen is actually available in 3 forms – estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), and estriol (E3). The production of the various forms of estrogen and estrogen metabolism depends on your age, cycle, genetics, and other factors. Suffice it to say that the various estrogens have different potencies and effects.

In menopause, the absolute levels of estrogen and progesterone are affected, but it is also important to consider the relative levels of estrogen as it relates to progesterone (i.e. estrogen dominance vs estrogen deficiency). Failure to attend to the proper balance of estrogen to progesterone can lead to worsening symptoms.

Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone do not act in a vacuum but intimately interact with other hormone systems such as the thyroid and adrenals (cortisol). Hormones must be considered a web with rather complex interconnections that must be properly monitored and adjusted as needed. Remembering that systems such as the methylation system are intimately involved in the detoxification system reminds us that it is important to consider hormone use in the context of a systems approach rather than to treat hormone therapy as an isolated therapy.

Proper monitoring and management of menopause hormone therapy is paramount.

Estrogen is metabolized into substances that may increase the risk of breast cancer (if not properly identified and managed). If you are currently on hormone therapy (or even if you are not) you should be aware if your metabolic products of estrogen metabolism are within a safe range (easily measured with a urinary estrogen metabolite test). Sadly, monitoring such data is not the norm. Equally important is the status of your detoxification systems, your toxin exposures (even if unwittingly) and so on.

Adding estrogen (hormone therapy) when your estrogen is being metabolized in such a way as to increase your breast cancer risk is obviously something that should not be done – but if you are not assessing and addressing your estrogen metabolism, how will you even know you are at risk?

Thus, it is important to identify and correct any questions about proper estrogen metabolism and detoxification sufficiency prior to (or concurrently with) adding estrogen therapy. Focusing solely on hormone implementation is not recommended – patients are strongly advised to make sure you are being treated and appropriately monitored by a properly trained physician.

Not all hormones are alike. Bioidentical hormones are, well…. identical to the hormones your body produces. This seems to be an appropriate approach (and it is the one that we strictly adhere to – using only bioidentical hormones) but many are still being treated with hormones that are not bioidentical (such as Premarin – derived from horse urine, and medroxyprogesterone – Provera – a chemical analog of progesterone that is absolutely NOT the same as your own progesterone).

The Women’s Health Initiative study showed the risks involved with artificial progesterone (Provera), and artificial estrogen (Premarin).

In addition, hormones should be used within their physiologic ranges to minimize risk. There is very little data available concerning the risks of using long-term higher-dosed hormones.

It is our contention that symptomatic improvement without the excess risk (seen with non-bioidentical hormone treatment) is attainable but is complex and requires proper monitoring of multiple factors as outlined.

We feel that it is important to appreciate that BHRT (bioidentical hormone replacement therapy) needs to be properly integrated into a comprehensive approach. There are multiple metabolic systems that interrelate with hormones and influence their levels, potential toxicities and effects.

What Are The Common Signs Of Menopause?

As your hormone levels decline as you approach menopause you may experience a wide range of disruptive symptoms. While every woman experiences perimenopause and menopause differently, you may experience any of the following symptoms to varying degrees.

  • Hot flashes and night sweats
  • Weight gain and bloating
  • Muscle mass loss
  • Libido loss and sexual indifference
  • Depression and anxiety
  • Irritability and Mood Swings
  • Fatigue and lack of stamina
  • Insomnia or sleep disturbances
  • Hair loss

As your hormone levels decline you also become susceptible to diseases such as: osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and dementia. As an example, it has been shown that susceptibility to cardiovascular disease, which dramatically increases with menopause, is significantly reduced with proper hormonal balancing.

What Are The Benefits Of Bioidentical Hormone Therapy?

If you need hormone therapy, bioidentical hormones provide a variety of benefits, including:

  • Reduced hot flashes and night sweats
  • Reduced vaginal dryness
  • Reduced risk of osteoporosis
  • Improved libido
  • Improved muscle mass and strength
  • Improved cholesterol level
  • Enhanced mood, concentration, and memory

Bioidentical hormones also reduce the risks associated with synthetic hormone therapy, including breast cancer, coronary artery disease (CAD), stroke, and blood clots.
Your treatment is customized to meet your needs. When they design your treatment, the physicians at FoundationMED consider a comprehensive range of physiological functions, including your methylation status, detoxification function, hormonal metabolic status, and other external environmental influences. Your doctor carefully monitors your health and symptoms, as well as your hormone levels, throughout your treatment.

What Should I Expect During Bioidentical Hormone Therapy?

Bioidentical hormone therapy begins with a comprehensive physical exam and thorough blood and urine testing to assess your hormone levels. Your doctor prescribes the specific bioidentical hormones that your body needs.

You have frequent follow-up appointments for your doctor to test your hormone levels and monitor your health and symptoms. They may adjust your dose depending on how you respond to treatment to optimize your health.

If you’re concerned about menopause, call FoundationMED or make an appointment online today for personalized menopause management services.

FoundationMED Does More

We work to assess and address the multiple issues that together can conspire to negatively affect your health and wellbeing. We call that “root cause” analysis – and it is reflected in our name: FoundationMED.

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