Women’s Health
Hormone Balance in Women
Women experience hormonal fluctuations throughout the lifespan, putting them at greater risk for hormone imbalance with age. Women may experience highs and lows in estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone due to life transitions, such as puberty, pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause. Women many also experience dramatic changes in thyroid function and cortisol levels dues to chronic stress or dysfunction of the thyroid or adrenal glands. Advanced lab testing from an expert specializing in hormone balance and functional medicine can help women monitor their hormone throughout the lifecycle and develop a comprehensive treatment plan to achieve and maintain balance.
What is Menopause?
Menopause is defined as the absence of regular periods for twelve months. The transitional time leading up to menopause is called “perimenopause”, and is typically initiated by the natural, age-related decline of reproductive hormones. But menopause can also be initiated by surgical removal of the ovaries, and sometimes by chemotherapy and/or radiation. Another very rare condition, called primary ovarian insufficiency, occurs in about one percent of women and can result in menopause.
In all cases, for whatever reason, the ovaries do not produce the levels of female reproductive hormones that they once did. With women living so much longer, and desiring a vibrant activity level, this depletion of hormones can reduce their quality of life. Many women seek hormone replacement therapy as a solution.
Some of the issues associated with menopause include:
- Irregular periods that eventually stop altogether
- Vaginal dryness or a loss of lubrication in the vaginal canal, with the result that sexual intercourse may become painful or unpleasant
- Loss of libido, or a reduction in the sex drive
- Hot flashes that occur during the day, or profuse sweats occurring at night during sleep
- Difficulties with falling asleep or staying asleep
- Increased fatigue or a general lack of energy
- An increase in irritability or lethargy/apathy
- Anxiety or depression
- A tendency to gain weight easily, and/or difficulty dropping pounds
- Thinning hair and dry skin
- Loss of fullness in breasts
- Urinary incontinence due to decreased estrogen
The average age for menopause onset is 51, but symptoms can begin in the late 30s for some women, or as late as the 60s for others. The experience of menopause is a highly individualized one, and for some women, the solution to resolving unpleasant symptoms may be bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.
To discover if bioidentical hormones may help you, consult with Dr. Rehman, a Board Certified Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.), who also has extensive additional training in balancing hormones in women.
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