Don’t let menopause symptoms dominate your life! Take back control with hormone therapy
Perimenopause is increasingly on the public’s radar. The lead-up to menopause in women’s lives was relatively little known. However, this stage can last for years, up to a decade. With it comes often dramatic changes – from insomnia and night sweats to vaginal dryness, irritability, and a loss of interest in sex. Regardless of your age and where you are “at” in this transition, Dr. Asongtia Ntonghawah and Access Medspa Rejuvenate are here to help women from across Lanham, Maryland, and greater Prince George’s, Charles, and Montgomery counties. Hormone replacement therapy eases these and other symptoms and gets you back to feeling like yourself again.
What hormones do you replace?
As a woman enters menopause, the levels of estrogen and progesterone – the primary female hormones- rise and fall unevenly. Such fluctuations result in changes, such as experiencing irregular periods for the first time. She may not always ovulate or release an egg during every menstrual cycle. These imbalances are also associated with the many life-altering symptoms referenced above. We can restore a healthy balance with HRT, either estrogen or progesterone, on their own or combined. Dr. Ntonghawah has also carefully selected bioidentical hormone replacement therapy as an alternative to conventional HRT.
What is BHRT?
These plant-based hormones are “bioidentical” or have the same chemical structure as the hormones that your body produces naturally. This characteristic makes them a particularly good choice for natural, safe, and effective therapy with minimal risk of side effects.
How do you replace the hormones?
We introduce estrogen and/or progesterone to your body in various forms. We can discuss options during a consultation. Depending on your needs and preferences, we may recommend oral tablets or capsules, creams, gels, sprays, patches, inserts or rings, suppositories, or pellets that are inserted under the skin every three to six months. Treatment is customized and based on findings from extensive lab testing that partly assesses hormone levels. We will need to identify what your body needs and also get to the root cause of hormone imbalances (such as thyroid dysfunction) to make the most well-informed recommendations for therapy. The idea is to start with the lowest possible dose to relieve symptoms. We then monitor how well these interventions work by regularly rechecking your hormone levels. Adjustments will be made as appropriate to keep up with your changing needs.
Is HRT for everyone?
No treatment is universally appropriate. We may recommend alternatives if you have had conditions such as breast cancer, blood clots, or liver disease. Your medical history will be reviewed thoroughly as part of this process. A tenet of our women’s hormone services is guidance on lifestyle.
How can I improve my symptoms without hormones?
Many of the steps that are generally best for your body are also great for alleviating perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms. These include incorporating more high-fiber, calcium-rich foods into your diet while minimizing alcohol and caffeine (as they seem to trigger hot flashes). Playing your favorite sports or exercising is a great way to support bone health and is a tremendous mood-lifter. Stress reduction exercises are also a perfect complement to the other suggestions mentioned here. Our wellness team at Access Medspa Rejuvenate will work with you to find the best next steps. It should also be noted that all women, including those undergoing HRT, can benefit from our guidance on this front.
Feeling miserable should not be accepted by women as “coming with the territory” as they age and transition into menopause. You deserve to feel and put your best self forward for a lifetime. Call (301) 830-8533 to schedule your consultation at our Medspa, which serves Prince George’s County and the surrounding area. Reclaim your life from distressing symptoms rooted in hormone imbalances today!
