Hormone Balancing Made Simple

“I miss the old me. I’m irritable, tired, lots of brain fog…. having trouble sleeping through the night… and forget about sex,”  a patient told me as she sat in my office.  She had recently moved to Sarasota and had been on hormones prescribed from another physician in her previous town for over a year.  She was taking them faithfully, but still not feeling much better.  She did say that at least her hot flashes and vaginal dryness had resolved… “I’m glad for that,” she said, “but I just want to feel like myself again. I used to have energy, focus, and a pretty good sex drive, but all that seems to have changed with menopause.”

When I asked to see labs that were drawn prior to beginning hormone therapy, and then after, to see if they had balanced, I was surprised to hear that no hormone lab tests had been run.  “My doctor just began me on an estrogen pill in the morning and a progesterone pill before bedtime. Later, we switched to an estrogen patch and kept the same pill at night,” she added, “but….” and she began to tear up.

When a series of blood and salivary test results came back, we found her answers.  Her cortisol levels were low all day long, relating to an adrenal fatigue problem.  Her estrone levels were high, contributing to irritability and increasing a tendency toward Estrogen Dominance.  Her testosterone levels were practically non-existent, explaining her brain fog and lack of libido.  Blood tests also revealed a persistent low progesterone level, although she was faithfully taking her nighttime dose of progesterone.

Through lab tests, we knew how to correct the problem.  After a few weeks, she was sleeping through the night.  Within two months, her irritability had calmed down.  And within three months, her libido was back where she wanted it.

While the only way to tell if you truly need hormone replacement therapy is through blood, saliva, and/or urine testing, there are some symptoms in both men and women that can provide clues as to whether or not you might be experiencing hormone imbalances. These include…

Fatigue

Brain fog

Low sex drive

Mood swings

Vaginal dryness

Erectile dysfunction

Depression/Anxiety

Trouble sleeping

Memory loss

Irritability

Weight gain

Hot flashes

Most patients come to our practice because they are experiencing one or more of these symptoms.  From there, we determine which tests are most appropriate to run.  And, from there, we run these tests every 6 months to make sure they continue to stay on track.

From the inception of The Renewal Point 20 years ago, one of our mottos has been “Test and Correct”.  We continue to practice this today because of how important it is to personalize every regimen we give to our patients.

If any of the above symptoms are bothering you, we encourage you to reach out to us.  You can give us a call at 941-926-4905, visit our website at TheRenewalPoint.com, or email us at info@therenewalpoint.com.  You CAN live the life you imagine!