Hormones play an essential role in regulating many critical bodily functions. When hormone levels decline or become imbalanced, wide-ranging symptoms and health issues can occur. Understanding the implications of hormonal changes is key to pursuing timely treatment when needed.
For both men and women, customized hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may help mitigate troublesome signs of hormonal imbalance, while also promoting vitality and better quality of life. With an integrative approach focused on the individual, clinics like Renewal Hormone Center in Thornton, New Hampshire offer both testing services to check hormone levels, and a range of hormone therapy protocols to help patients restore hormonal balance.
Declining hormone levels and imbalances often manifest in various ways. Being attuned to your body and noticing new symptoms is crucial for seeking proper testing and treatment if warranted.
Common signs of hormone deficiency include:
For women transitioning into perimenopause and menopause in particular, symptoms may be traced back to falling estrogen and progesterone levels. Hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, irregular periods and ovulation changes point to shifting female hormones.
In men, symptoms like erectile dysfunction, shrinkage of testicles, enlarged or sensitive breasts, loss of body/facial hair and decline in strength and endurance can indicate a drop in testosterone - the predominant male sex hormone.
Without treatment, suboptimal hormone levels can significantly diminish one’s vitality, health and enjoyment of life. Understanding risk factors and being proactive with testing sets the stage for interventions like HRT aimed at relief of symptoms.
Hormones are powerful chemical messengers that travel through the bloodstream to tissues and organs. They relay critical signals that influence how cells and systems function. Maintaining healthy hormonal balance is essential for overall wellbeing.
Some key hormones, their roles and related symptoms when deficient include:
Main Roles: Regulates female reproduction/menstrual cycle. Impacts skin, hair, bone, cholesterol levels, body fat distribution, memory, mood and sleep
Deficiency Signs: Hot flashes, vaginal dryness, headache, mood changes, osteoporosis risk
Main Roles: Works with estrogen in regulating menstrual cycle/fertility. Helps maintain pregnancy. Impacts bone building, metabolism and thyroid function. Has calming effect.
Deficiency Signs: Irregular/heavy periods, PMS, menopause symptoms, infertility, anxiety
Main Roles: Stimulates sex drive, muscle/bone strength, fat burning. Boosts energy, mood and cognitive abilities.
Deficiency Signs: Low libido, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, depression, loss of muscle mass
Main Roles: Regulates metabolism, energy production, appetite. Controls function of organs, muscles, brain, nervous system. Impacts mood, heart rate, body weight.
Deficiency Signs: Weight gain, fatigue, sensitivity to cold, hair thinning, muscle weakness
In addition to lifestyle factors like poor nutrition, obesity, sleep deprivation, and high stress, advancing age remains a leading contributor to declining hormonal levels over time for both sexes.
Genetics, disease or dysfunction of hormone-secreting glands, and prior surgeries including ovary removal, hysterectomies or castration may also lead to deficiencies requiring treatment.
Certain medications - like corticosteroids, some blood pressure drugs, and opioids - can suppress hormone production as well. Individual risks depend on health history and should be carefully assessed.
The overarching goals of customized bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are to:
The wide range of expected benefits from HRT includes:
By addressing the root hormonal causes behind disruptive or declining health and quality of life, the right HRT plan can yield transformative and lasting benefits.
Modern hormone therapy uses lab-made hormones - identical on a molecular level to those produced naturally in the body - to supplement declining levels.
Treatment plans can include:
For peri/post-menopausal women with low estrogen levels. May include:
Key forms: Oral tablets, transdermal gels/patches/sprays, vaginal creams, inserts/rings with varied release rates
For men or women with low testosterone levels. May include:
Goals: Increased sex drive, energy, lean muscle mass. Decreased body fat.
For hypothyroidism - low thyroid function. Requires ongoing management.
Goals: Raised metabolic rate and energy levels. Relief of fatigue, weight gain.
DHEA levels decline with age. Supplementation aims to mitigate:
Along with hormone testing to pinpoint imbalances suitable for treatment, Renewal Hormone Center also provides nutritional testing and counseling on lifestyle factors like diet, movement and stress reduction to address root causes of hormonal disruption.
An integrative approach combines appropriate hormone therapies with nutrition and lifestyle optimization for best results.
Because hormone levels fluctuate by age and sex, testing is vital for an accurate picture of an individual’s hormone profile before pursuing treatment. Key baseline lab tests guide creation of a tailored therapy plan.
Testing analyzes levels of key hormones like estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, thyroid hormones (T3, T4) and DHEA sulfate in the blood, while also assessing organs impacted by hormonal changes.
Follow-up tests occur periodically to monitor patient progress and ensure optimal hormone balance is achieved and maintained.
At Renewal Hormone Center, testing options include:
Understanding the right hormone tests for your age, symptoms and risk factors ensures an accurate diagnosis guides the path forward.
The goal of Renewal Hormone Center medical providers is guiding patients to sustained balance, health and vitality throughout the aging process via cutting-edge testing, customized treatment plans, and ongoing fine-tuning as needed.
Our streamlined HRT process includes:
Comprehensive Lab Testing
Consultation and Customized Treatment Plan
Convenient Administration of HRT Protocols
Continuous Monitoring and Follow-Up
Renewal Hormone Center provides an easily accessible, faded and pleasant environment for testing, therapy administration and ongoing consultations aimed at helping patients thrive.
We emphasize patient education, shared decision making and continuous fine-tuning/optimization of treatment plans until optimal hormonal balance and symptom relief are achieved.
With expertise in the latest advancements in hormonal therapies and regenerative biologics, our practitioners aim to become trusted partners focused on achieving sustainable restoration of health, function and human potential.
In addition to biological hormonal therapies, lifestyle and mindset changes also play a key role in managing signs of hormone deficiency:
Nutrient-Dense Diet
Stress Reduction
Regular Exercise
Positive Mindset
While individual health histories, risk factors and responsibilities vary, being proactive by:
...offers the greatest potential for resolving troublesome symptoms and enjoying sustained function and vitality as we age.
