Natural Menopause Treatments: Does Bioidentical Hormone Therapy Work?
Are you searching for a natural menopause treatment? Are you fed up with the side effects of regular HRT?
Traditional menopause treatments don’t always work for everyone and can come with unwanted side effects. If you’ve tried HRT and found that it wasn’t right and are now looking for a natural menopause treatment, then this blog will give you insight into alternative options.
Understanding Menopause And Hormone Imbalance
Menopause is when a woman stops having periods. It’s a natural part of ageing and usually occurs between 45 and 55.
It happens because of natural hormonal changes in your body as egg production in the ovaries stops. Menopause can happen earlier for some and can also be triggered for reasons such as surgery to remove the ovaries or uterus, cancer treatments like chemotherapy, or genetic causes.
Your periods stop due to lower hormone levels, and you ‘reach’ menopause when you’ve not had a period for 12 months.
Women tend to experience symptoms long before they actually reach menopause, which is referred to as perimenopause.
Symptoms of perimenopause can include:
- Anxiety
- Mood swings
- Brain fog
- Hot flushes
- Irregular periods
- Loss of sex drive
Changes in your hormones during menopause can impact your mental health as well as your physical health. You may experience feelings of anxiety, stress, or even depression. You must get the right help to balance out your hormones. Doing this can relieve your symptoms and help you feel like you again.
Traditional Menopause Treatment
Most women will be offered a form of HRT (hormone replacement therapy) to treat their menopause symptoms. HRT replaces the hormones that are declining as you approach menopause.
Traditional menopause treatments use medication to supplement the depleting hormones; oestrogen (with progesterone). It can be taken as pills, patches, or gels and can only be prescribed by your doctor.
Traditional menopause treatment can work well for some. However, there are common risks and side effects.
The main side effects of taking HRT are:
- Bloating
- Breast tenderness or swelling
- Swelling in other parts of the body
- Nausea
- Leg cramps
- Headaches
- Indigestion
- Vaginal bleeding
- Skin irritations
Traditional hormone therapy, like HRT, involves using manufactured hormones from synthetic sources. They are more commonly linked to negative side effects because they do not have the same structure as natural hormones.
And this is where a natural menopause treatment could help.
Natural Menopause Treatment: Bioidentical Hormone Therapy
Bioidentical hormones are manufactured hormones derived from plant oestrogens. They are used to rebalance your hormones and help you regain control over your body.
They are chemically identical to human hormones, making them safer than conventional HRT with fewer side effects. And just like standard HRT, they are available in various forms, including pills, patches, creams, gels, and injections.
At Elite Aesthetics, your doctor will listen to your concerns and understand your symptoms. You will undergo a blood test to determine your hormone levels, and from your individual results, you’ll receive a prescription for a bespoke course of hormone treatment.
Your BHRT treatment is unique to you, as we match the hormones to what’s lacking in your body. A natural menopause treatment like BHRT mimics hormones that are naturally produced in your body, helping to make this treatment safer and less likely to cause a reaction.
BHRT is usually very well tolerated, with most women experiencing no negative effects. However, like all medicines, there are some potential side effects, including;
- Weight gain
- Blurred vision
- Tiredness
- Acne
- Increased facial hair
- Headaches
- Breast tenderness
- Spotting
All hormone treatments take a while to get the dosage right, and you’ll often start on the lowest dose. But the good news for those with menopause is that this natural menopause treatment is far more flexible than standard HRT prescribed through the NHS.
If you undergo bioidentical hormone therapy in Kent with Dr Shirin, she will work closely with you to establish the right course of treatment. You’ll receive regular follow-ups and adjustments as needed.
The Benefits Of Natural Menopause Treatment
BHRT is the most natural menopause treatment available and is completely tailored to you. It can be suitable for you even if you’ve been told that you’re not a suitable candidate for HRT.
Some of the benefits of BHRT are:
- Mimics Your Own Natural Hormones – The hormones are customised to your specific needs.
- Improves Sexual Experience – Decreasing oestrogen leads to vaginal dryness and pain during sex. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy restores oestrogen levels improving lubrication and increasing sex drive.
- Gives You Stronger Hair And Nails – When your hormones dip, it impacts your hair, nails, and bones. BHRT increases your body’s production of proteins like collagen, which will help you look younger and restore the strength of your hair and nails.
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Decreases Symptoms Of Menopause And Perimenopause – Symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats, mood swings, and lack of energy.
- Improves Mental Clarity – Helping to improve the brain fog that occurs with menopause.
Denise’s BHRT Story
Denise went through early menopause after a hysterectomy when she was 32. She suffered from severe symptoms for several years, including hot flushes, feeling down, anxiety, weight gain, insomnia, and incontinence.
Her GP prescribed HRT, which she took for 10 years but stopped after experiencing extreme weight gain and concern with her blood pressure. As soon as she stopped taking HRT, her menopause symptoms returned.
The night sweats became so extreme that she was forced to move into a separate bedroom from her husband and completely lost her libido.
During the day, she was tired and moody, and her incontinence became so bad that she couldn’t go anywhere without wearing a bladder control pad. Denise did not want to return to HRT, but needed help to relieve her extreme menopause symptoms.
She looked into other options and was keen to find a natural menopause treatment. It was then that she discovered Dr Shirin at Elite Aesthetics.
After explaining that she was looking for a natural menopause treatment, Dr Shirin suggested BHRT. She took a blood sample and prescribed a cream that helped Denise get her life back.
Denise says: “I lost 9lbs in the first month. My hot flushes, panic attacks, anxiety, and mood swings stopped, and I could finally sleep at night.
I was really happy not having to take a tablet – I just had to rub the cream into my wrists every morning.
The only thing that still affected me was the debilitating incontinence, so I decided to have the non-surgical O-Shot procedure with Dr Shirin. The results were instant.”
You can read more about the revolutionary O-Shot here.
Where Can I Find BHRT?
BHRT isn’t widely available on the NHS, but luckily, it isn’t suffering the same supply shortage as conventional HRT. It can be sourced very easily from private clinics, such as Elite Aesthetics in Kent.
If you decide that BHRT is right for you, then the first step is to book a consultation. During your consultation, you can ask any further questions that you might have, and Dr Shirin can discuss in detail how BHRT can be tailored to your hormonal needs.
You can contact us by calling 01322 381 205, emailing info@elite-aesthetics.co.uk, or WhatsApp us.
We hold consultations in our award-winning clinic based in Greenhithe, Kent, which is just 10 Minutes from Dartford Station & Gravesend Station.
