What Is Hormone Replacement Therapy?

Types of Hormone Replacement Therapy

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is the use of prescription medications to make up for the symptoms of age-related hormone loss. It was once thought that HRT was only good for women to treat the symptoms of menopause. However, we now know that both men and women can benefit from hormone replacement therapy.

Hormones are critical to many bodily functions. They are the chemical messengers that are carried throughout your blood stream that fuel and control most biological processes.

Hormones are responsible for:

  • Sexual function, reproductive growth and health
  • Growth and development
  • Metabolism and digestion
  • Cognitive function and emotional health

Some of your body’s most critical hormones are testosterone and human growth hormone (for men and women) and estrogen (for women). Unfortunately, the levels of all of these hormones decrease as we age. The age-related hormone loss is largely responsible for the symptoms we commonly relate to “growing old” such as:

Hormone Replacement Therapy

  • Fatigue
  • Lowered libido and other sexual wellness issues
  • Weight gain and decreased metabolism
  • Weakness
  • Moodiness, depression and other emotional issues
  • Memory loss and other cognitive issues

As the name implies, hormone replacement therapy is all about renewing vitality by giving you back what age takes away.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is used to treat men and women with age-related hormone loss.

However, there is no “one-size fits all,” approach to hormone replacement therapy. There are different types of hormone therapy. Which is best for you will depend on your age, gender, symptoms and individual fitness goals.

What Are the Different Types of Hormone Replacement Therapy?

The most common types of hormone replacement are testosterone therapy and growth hormone therapy. Most patients who are suffering from age-related hormone imbalances, will require a prescription for either testosterone replacement or growth hormone replacement. Sometimes growth hormone therapy and testosterone therapy are used in combination.

Hormone Replacement Therapies for Men

Hormone Replacement Therapies for Men

Testosterone is the most important male hormone. Therefore, testosterone therapy is the most common hormone replacement used for men. Men with low testosterone, also known as “Low-T,” will have the following symptoms:

  • Low energy
  • Erectile dysfunction or other sexual health issues
  • Lack of ability to build lean muscle, even while working out
  • Moodiness or increased aggression
  • Depression and anxiety
  • Memory loss and other cognitive difficulties

Men who have low testosterone, almost always are also deficient in human growth hormone, or HGH. Growth hormone is primarily responsible for influencing everything responsible for cellular growth. HGH is vitally important in our growing years. However, adults still need HGH to continue to replace damaged cells, and to maintain good muscle mass and bone health throughout our lives.

In addition to helping with most of the symptoms of Low-T, HGH therapy also:

  • Encourages heart health
  • Helps prevent osteoporosis by improving bone density
  • Fights fat
  • Increases muscle strength
  • Improves mood
  • Improves sleep

Often, growth hormone therapy will be combined with testosterone therapy. Hormone replacement for men can put you back on your path to peak performance at any age.

Hormone Replacement Therapies for Women

Hormone Replacement Therapies for Women

For many years, HRT, was the standard treatment for women experiencing the most common symptoms of menopause: hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes, etc. It was prescribed almost as a matter of course for any women entering menopause. Today, our doctors have learned much more about hormone treatments for women, and how to safely apply them for maximum effectiveness, with minimal risks.

HRT remains the most effective treatment we have for treating the symptoms of menopause and Female Sexual Dysfunction. However, we know now that women can also benefit from testosterone replacement therapy. In fact, current research suggests that the sexual health issues experienced by post-menopausal women, are related more the testosterone loss, than estrogen loss. In such women, testosterone therapy was been shown to increase sexual desire, reduce vaginal dryness and restore more satisfying intimate relations.

Beyond the bedroom, other studies have found that adding low-dose testosterone therapy to estrogen therapy increases mental acuity and cognition in women.

Is One Kind of HRT Better Than Another?

Is One Kind of HRT Better Than Another

HRT for men or women can be given in many forms. Testosterone and estrogen replacement, for example can be given in the form of injections, creams, skin patches, or subdermal pellets. Growth hormone therapy is only given by injections. No matter the type of HRT, our doctors have found that injections work the quickest and are the most effective.

We have also found the use of bioidentical hormones to be safer and more effective than synthetic hormones. Bioidentical hormones are an exact match – atom for atom – to the hormones naturally produced by your body. These naturally produced bioidentical hormones are more easily absorbed and used by the body. Bioidentical hormones have are less likely to have any of the negative side effects associated with their synthetic counterparts.

Synthetic hormones are hormones produced by labs or Big Pharma. They are not the same thing as the hormones normally produced by your body, so your body does not recognize them as harmless.

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) is the safest and most effective hormone replacement therapy available.

How Do I Know What Is the Right Hormone Replacement Prescription for Me?

Right Hormone Replacement Prescription

Generally speaking, age-related hormone deficiencies impact three areas of your life: mental health, physical health and sexual health. In many cases you may be experiencing all or some of these symptoms, and you may be deficient in more than one hormone.

The only way to know if you need hormone replacement therapy is with proper diagnosis and analysis. Your first step to see if you have an age-related hormone deficiency is to have your hormone levels tested. If your blood tests indicate that you are low in critical hormones such as HGH and/or testosterone, you may be a candidate for HRT.

Only your doctor can make that determination, and then prescribe just the right program of HRT for you.

Remember, what is normal for you, may be different for someone else, and that is why we use the latest in diagnostic tools, and our years of expert analysis to determine the course of action that is most appropriate for your unique individual needs and lifestyle.

Testosterone replacement and/or growth hormone replacement can have many benefits for men and women.

Now that you know a little bit more about hormone replacement therapies for men, why not Contact Us today, and take your best steps to a better tomorrow!

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