29 Nov Menopause
Hot flashes? Night sweats? Vaginal dryness? Irritability? Anxiety? Mood swings? Insomnia? Decreased libido? Weight gain? Hair loss? Forgetfulness?… Although, neither an all-inclusive list nor the sole cause for any of these symptoms; a combination of these occurring at a certain time in a women’s life could represent… “the change.” Regardless if you view this as a glorious time where you can finally rid your purse of all the feminine products you’ve been toting for the past 30 years, or a time when you simply no longer have to worry about birth control, it is an inevitable period that all women will experience at some point. In case you hadn’t caught on yet, I’m talking about menopause. Though the time of onset and quantity or severity of symptoms vary greatly for every woman, it is a change we can all anticipate. The average onset is between age 45 and 55. Some women can experience a peri-menopausal stage that can last from a few months to several years. Some women hardly experience any symptoms at all. So, do any of these symptoms hit close to home for you? Wondering what options you may have to lessen the unpleasantness of this particular life stage? Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, or BHRT for short, maybe the answer you are searching for. BHRT is an individualized medication made up of hormones that are identical in chemical structure to the hormones made by the body. There is no one-size-fits-all dose. It is a carefully chosen formulation chosen by your doctor, often with the help of your pharmacist, to meet the individual needs of the patient based on symptoms and lab results.