Tired of struggling through insomnia, weight fluctuations, and fatigue? You’re not alone. People everywhere experience the physical and mental effects of aging, as with time we naturally produce less of the hormones that keep our bodies functioning smoothly. This is especially true for women experiencing perimenopause or menopause.
You might turn to nutritional supplements, a new workout routine, or caffeine to “treat” these symptoms, but the effect is surface-level.
Although we can’t freeze time or rewind the clock, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) helps relieve the effects of aging and menopause by targeting the cause of your hormonal imbalance itself.
Ready to regain balance with hormone replacement therapy? HRT therapy in Columbus starts with a one-on-one consultation with your Medical Spa NP provider.
Continue reading to find out how our experts at Medical Spa NP implement science-backed HRT pellet treatments to address your unique needs.
Why Do Hormone Levels Fluctuate With Age?
Over time, our body’s natural processes begin to slow down. As the ovaries and testes become less active, production of hormones like estrogen and testosterone declines. These hormones typically act as chemical messengers, communicating with different systems throughout the body to trigger essential functions and responses.
However, as a result of slowed hormone production—especially among women experiencing perimenopause and menopause—changes in our physical and mental health become more noticeable.
As women go through perimenopause in their mid-30s or 40s, their bodies begin to transition into menopause, with their estrogen and progesterone levels varying drastically, often resulting in skipped menstrual periods.
During menopause, a woman’s menstrual period stops completely, often between the ages of 40 and 50. Throughout this natural process, the ovaries make less estrogen and progesterone, both of which play a role in the menstrual cycle, affecting your hormone balance.
Understanding Your Hormones
The glands and organs within your endocrine system naturally produce fewer hormones with age. So, what are estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone responsible for, outside of reproduction?
Estrogen
Though primarily known for its role in the female and male reproductive systems, the hormone estrogen also influences the immune, vascular, skeletal, and neuroendocrine systems. Declining estrogen levels can affect bone density, heart health, metabolism, skin condition, and more.
Progesterone
Progesterone is influential throughout the menstrual cycle, especially during pregnancy. Loss of progesterone can lead to decreased fertility. However, progesterone receptors are located throughout the nervous and musculoskeletal systems, as well, so an imbalance can also affect memory and bone health.
Testosterone
Starting at the age of 20, the endocrine system produces less and less testosterone, and what is produced is often not bioavailable, or ready to act as a chemical messenger to your systems.
Lowered testosterone levels affect both men’s and women’s libido, bone density, muscle mass, body fat, mood, energy levels, cognition, and more.
What Are the Symptoms of Hormonal Imbalance?
Your balance (or imbalance) of hormones is unique to you, and manifests in a myriad of ways. The effects of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone loss can lead to any combination of the following symptoms:
- Acne
- Declining hair growth or changing hair growth patterns
- Changes in mood (mood swings, irritability, depression, or anxiety)
- Brain fog
- Decreased energy levels or alertness
- Fatigue
- Insomnia, or trouble falling asleep and staying asleep
- Night sweats
- Hot flashes
- Weight change, often because of changes in metabolism and muscle mass
- Low bone density
- High cholesterol, especially during perimenopause
- PCOS (accompanied by new hair growth, acne, fertility issues, and metabolic syndrome)
- Anemia
- Low libido
- Vaginal dryness
- Erectile dysfunction
With so many outcomes that can affect your quality of life, we often recommend that patients experiencing hormonal imbalance look to HRT. Therapy in Columbus continues to help many clients feel like themselves again, empowered by the latest science and personalized care.
The HRT Process
To determine if you are an ideal candidate for HRT, a Medical Spa NP provider meets with you in an initial consultation. During your consultation, they ask you to list any symptoms you are experiencing. Then, your HRT specialist conducts a blood panel and learns more about your medical history and lifestyle.
The bloodwork we receive from your panel shows your levels of estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone. It may also check your luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone levels, both of which are essential to ovarian and testicular function.
The consultation allows us to shape each eligible patient’s treatment plan for HRT.
Who Is Eligible for HRT?
Adult women and men between the ages of 35 and 65 are often ideal candidates for HRT therapy in Columbus. It is not advisable outside this age range, as younger patients may wish to start a family and older patients may develop additional health risks.
We rarely recommend HRT for women with a family history of breast cancer or men with a history of prostate cancer. We must also evaluate whether individuals with osteoporosis, stroke risk, heart disease, or blood clotting conditions are eligible for HRT.
Planning Your HRT
Once we determine that hormone therapy could resolve your symptoms and improve your well-being, the Medical Spa NP team invites you back to the office to discuss your plan for HRT therapy in Columbus. This includes customized pellets to address your hormonal needs and improve your lasting wellness.
Inserting the Pellet
The HRT pellet itself is as small as a grain of rice. After numbing the area using a topical anesthetic, your Medical Spa NP practitioner cuts a tiny incision into the upper buttocks and inserts the pellet. The implantation process typically only takes minutes. The incision is so small that the site does not require suturing, though you should be gentle with the area and avoid strenuous glute exercises in the following days.
The pellet releases hormones directly into the bloodstream for effective absorption. As your body gradually breaks down the HRT pellet and your hormone levels balance, you should notice restored bodily functions. Many patients feel the effects of the implanted pellet within a few weeks of insertion.
Our expert practitioners help you plan an implantation schedule that’s right for you and your lifestyle. For female patients, we often recommend insertion every 4 months, and every 5 months for men. We also continually monitor your hormone levels and any ongoing symptoms to modify your pellets as needed.
This approach supports your lasting results, adapting to fit your body and goals.
Experiencing the Benefits of HRT
Though your health goals and treatment plan are unique to you, countless patients have felt the positive effects of hormone replacement therapy.
HRT therapy in Columbus helps many clients feel clearer, more energetic, and ready to take on the day. Level hormones also support more balanced moods and a more active lifestyle. As a result of increased mobility and faster metabolisms, men and women on HRT often see more even weight distribution and muscle mass.
Better sleep quality and enhanced intimate performance further contribute to an improved quality of life. Furthermore, balanced hormone levels can address more systemic aging concerns like bone density, anemia, or cholesterol.
Hormone replacement therapy also relieves disruptive menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats. More aesthetic benefits might include renewed hair growth and skin quality.
Overall, HRT patients report a revived sense of vitality and wellness after just one or two pellets, and the benefits continue as you regain hormonal balance.
Supporting the Results of HRT
Hormone replacement therapy addresses many physical and cognitive concerns associated with aging and menopause. However, as with any wellness plan, you see the best results when you pair your treatments with regular exercise, a nutritious diet, and a consistent sleep schedule.
HRT isn’t a spot treatment for your “problem areas;” it’s a conscious and continuous choice to improve your well-being as a whole.
Practicing healthy habits helps strengthen the body and mind, which naturally supports the positive outcomes of your HRT. Your treatments with Medical Spa NP and your ongoing lifestyle choices help foster lasting results.
Why Choose Medical Spa NP for Your HRT?
At Medical Spa NP, our providers know that no wellness or aesthetic treatment is one-size-fits-all. Guided by the expertise of Lindsay Eckles Hoffman, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, the team combines medical excellence with compassionate care to address your health goals.
Though we can’t reverse all the effects of time on the body, we can help you take control of your hormones with HRT therapy in Columbus. This treatment has helped many patients rediscover a zest for life that surface-level remedies like physical fitness and gimmicky supplements can’t replicate.
By using HRT pellets customized to target your imbalance and resolve the symptoms you’re experiencing, you can find balance and get back to doing more of what you love.
Feel Like Yourself Again With HRT
Ready to feel like yourself again through HRT therapy? In Columbus, relief is just a click away. Contact our team to start a hormone replacement journey that prioritizes your health goals.
Not ready to book yet? Continue learning more about how the Medical Spa NP team approaches HRT in Columbus.
