What is the difference between HRT and BHRT?

The symptoms of hormonal imbalances can affect your daily life, causing changes in your mental, emotional, and physical well being. Normal may not feel normal anymore, and you want a solution so you can feel like yourself again. At Bloom La Vie Health in Liberty, MO, we offer BHRT, also known as Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy, so that you can age gracefully, experience vitality, and live each day symptom-free.

What Is the Difference Between HRT and BHRT?

Not all hormone therapies are created equally. Hormone Replacement Therapy and Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy are not the same therapies. They both work to accomplish the same goal, but they use different means to do so. HRT uses synthetic hormones to mimic natural hormones. These hormones don’t have the same structure as the ones in the body, and as a result, they can have many different side effects.

Where They’re Derived

Synthetic hormones can come from both natural and unnatural sources, including Premarin, which comes from the urine of a pregnant mare. Bioidentical hormones come solely from natural sources, such as plants. While both of these sources may seem “natural” on the surface, there is a big difference in how the body uses these hormones. The sources used to create hormones are important to the overall quality of the hormone therapy as well as its effectiveness.

How They Compare to the Body’s Hormones

These two therapies also differ regarding how they compare to the hormones produced by the body. Bioidentical hormones are just that: they are biologically identical to the hormones produced by the body concerning both how they function and their actual structure.

As a result, there are few side effects associate with them and they can help seamlessly balance unbalanced hormones. Synthetic hormones do not match the body’s natural hormones, they only mimic them.

Side Effects

Bioidentical hormones can seamlessly blend with the body’s systems and fill in the gaps where there are hormone deficiencies. Once administered, there is a smooth transition to balance within the body. With synthetic hormones, it can cause a bumpy ride.

Since larger doses are required to create positive results, there are a lot of bi-products that are left in the body that it cannot so easily excrete. These bi-products existing in the body can lead to many different unwanted side effects.

The Hormones Used

There is no crossover between synthetic hormones and bioidentical hormones. Even though they work to bring balance to the hormonal system, they fall into two different categories. Bioidentical hormones include:

• Bioidentical estrogens (estrone, estriol, estradiol)

• Bioidentical progesterone (micronized progesterone, Prometrium)

• Bioidentical testosterone (testosterone enanthate, testosterone cypionate) Synthetic hormones include:

• Synthetic estrogen (estradiol valerate, conjugate esterified estrogen, Ethinyl estradiol, estropipate)

• Synthetic progesterone (progestin, medroyprogesterone, drospirenone, norgestimate, norethindrone acetate)

• Synthetic testosterone (methyltestosterone)

• All About Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy A comparison between bioidentical and synthetic hormones reveals that it is in the interest of your health and well being to seek out BHRT for any type of hormone imbalance. You may have heard about BHRT but have never considered yourself a candidate.

This treatment is safe and controlled. It has helped millions of people finally achieve balance in their lives and has helped them feel like their normal selves again, and in many cases, better than normal.

What Is It?

BHRT uses hormones derived from nature that are identical matches to that which the body produces naturally. These hormones are administered to the body to help bring balance to the hormonal system so that you can find relief from your symptoms, have energy, and feel rejuvenated.

How Does It Work?

There are many different methods and means of administering bioidentical hormones to the body. Your treatment will begin with a consultation. During your consultation, we will review your health history, listen as you explain your symptoms, and then determine if this treatment is right for you. The next step in the process requires that you undergo a hormone test. This report will show us in black and white what your hormonal levels are and what is out of balance.

We can order a blood, saliva, or urine test to evaluate your hormones. Once we receive your hormone report, the next step begins, which is the administration of the hormones. We will determine which hormone treatment is best for you and then administer the appropriate levels of hormones necessary to bring balance to your body.

Will I Need Follow-Up Treatments?

The treatment doesn’t stop there. We will carefully monitor your levels to ensure that they are where they need to be. We will adjust the treatment if needed so that your hormones are at optimal levels. We want to make sure that you feel energetic and can live free of the oppressive symptoms that are definitive of a hormone imbalance. We will walk with you through each step of this process and help you get back to feeling like your best self again.

What Are the Signs of Hormonal Imbalances

There are general symptoms of hormonal imbalances, and then there are symptoms that are specific to men, and specific to women. You don’t have to have every symptom to qualify as a candidate for BHRT. During your initial consultation, we will review the symptoms that are specific to your condition and use them to help determine your candidacy for treatment.

General Signs of Hormonal Imbalances

• There are general signs of a hormonal imbalance that affect both men and women. These signs are meant to alert you something is off and needs to be balanced. If you suffer from one or more of these symptoms you may be a candidate for BHRT.
• Changes in mood
• Feeling burnt out
• Always feeling tired
• Brain fog
• Night sweats
• Hot flashes
• Depression and anxiety
• Fluctuations in weight
• Changes in bone density
• Heart palpitations
• Frequent headaches
• Feeling irritable
• Nails or bones that break easily
• Hair loss
• Acne and congested, oily skin
• Balding or a receding hairline
• Low libido
• Inability to fall asleep or stay asleep
• Increase in body and facial hair growth

Male-Specific Hormonal Imbalances

Some specific symptoms indicate that the male hormones are unbalanced. Men typically experience symptoms that are indicative of low testosterone. All of the symptoms associated with low testosterone affect your daily life and can make you feel like anything but yourself. These symptoms are the most common among men and include but are not limited to:

• Urinary tract problems
• Low sperm count
• Erectile dysfunction
• Sexual problems
• Low energy
• Inability to gain muscle mass
• Infertility
• Irritability
• Weight gain
• Poor skin condition
• Acne
• Balding or a receding hairline

The symptoms typically appear during middle age, but they can also appear in younger men. Whatever your age, if you’re struggling from a hormonal imbalance, we want to help. During your consultation, we will discuss your symptoms in depth and develop a treatment plan that helps you get back to feeling like yourself again.

Female-Specific Hormonal Imbalances

As a female, you may feel imbalanced at some point every month, but there is a difference between an actual hormone imbalance and hormonal fluctuation as a result of menstruation. Hormonal imbalance affects every area of your life and every day is defined by your symptoms, regardless of what stage of your cycle you may be in. As women enter into pre-menopause and eventually menopause, these symptoms can become more prominent, but they don’t have to. We can help balance your hormones regardless of your stage of life so that you can feel energized and ready to take on the day, no matter what it brings. The signs of a hormonal imbalance in women include but are not limited to:

• Irregular or heavy periods
• Acne and oily, congested skin
• Infertility
• Premature aging at a rapid rate
• Hair loss or thinning hair
• Mood changes
• Fibrocystic breasts
• Vaginal Dryness
• Urinary tract problems
• Thinning skin
• Low libido

How Soon Will I Notice Results After Treatment?

Some people begin to notice a change in how they feel within a few days of beginning this treatment but the most noticeable changes come within the weeks following your initial treatment as your body begins to regulate, balance, and take on a new normal. Your energy will increase, you’ll experience mental clarity, and physically, you will feel much better than you did previously.

What Are the Benefits of Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy?

There are many benefits associated with this treatment. Your sex hormones are important for protecting your body from diseases. When these are out of balance, you are more susceptible to those diseases. When your hormones are balanced, you will be protected. Balance hormones can help protect you from:

• Recurrent illnesses
• Premature aging
• Infections
• Physical pain
• Memory problems
• Heart disease
• Osteoporosis
• Cancer

Once you regulate your hormones, you will experience physical, mental, and emotional benefits. Some of the benefits of this treatment include but are not limited to:

• Better quality sleep
• Improved mental clarity
• Improved energy levels
• Improved libido
• Better skin and hair
• Ability to put on lean muscle mass
• Healthy weight loss
• An improved mood
• An overall improved sense of well-being

Who Is a Candidate?

Both men and women who are struggling with hormonal imbalances can qualify as candidates for this treatment. While this treatment can help improve the symptoms of unbalanced hormones that often result from the aging process, you don’t have to be older to benefit from this treatment.

Women

Some women experience hormone imbalances following pregnancy and are unable to get their levels back to normal on their own. For those women, this treatment can make a world of a difference. Women who have not reached menopause but have begun to experience the symptoms of pre-menopause can also benefit from this treatment. Women who are in the beginning or middle of menopause will benefit from BHRT as well.

Men

Young men who may genetically have low testosterone can qualify as a candidate for this treatment. Middle-aged or older men who have experienced a decrease in their hormones and are living with negative symptoms can find relief from the symptoms through this treatment.

The Importance of a Consultation

BHRT is a versatile treatment that can help many different people with many different symptoms achieve hormonal balance and overall wellness. Consultations are such an important step in this process because they allow us to help determine exactly what you need and then develop a treatment plan that is completely customized to your needs.

Schedule Your Initial Consultation

You don’t have to live with unbalanced hormones. If the symptoms of this condition are affecting your daily life, know that that’s no way to live. We can help you live your best life with this treatment regardless of your age. Contact us today at Bloom La Vie Health in Liberty, MO and schedule your initial consultation to see if BHRT is right for you.