By Prudence Hall, M.D.
Imbalanced female hormones may occur at any age in a woman's life. We see girls in their teens with hormone abnormalities related to stress and eating too many refined sugary carbohydrates. Women in their thirties frequently present with perimenopause complaining of PMS, weight gain, depression and fatigue. Although menopause typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, we see numerous clients in full-blown menopause in their early thirties. Symptoms of imbalanced female hormones are sleeplessness, fatigue, low sex drive, depression, irritability, skin irritations, hot flashes, heart flutters, weight gain, muscle wasting, body aches, and memory problems, to mention the main ones. We approach hormonal balance at The Hall Center by helping our clients follow a "low allergy" type of diet, by detoxing the body and by replacing missing hormones with natural bioidentical hormones. We always aim to correct root causes rather than only treat superficial symptoms.
The only hormones used by The Hall Center practitioners are bioidentical and natural. Bioidentical hormones are the same identical hormones that our body makes naturally. They are extracted from soy and yams and are chemically changed into hormones that are the same as human hormones in every way. As such, when they enter the blood stream, they interact with our cells in the same way that our own hormones do. The traditionally used hormones from the past, such as Premarin or Cenestin, are not identical to our own hormones. They are extracted from the urine of pregnant horses or plants and contain multiple different estrogens and progesterones that are horse hormones, or "conjugated" hormones. Because these hormones are foreign to humans, the body does not accept them into our cells as it would our own identical hormones. Many people are allergic to horses and actually find these hormones inflammatory, raising concern about unnecessary side effects. Bloat, headaches, weight gain and heart disease can be related to inflammation caused by hormones that are not bioidentical.
As we replace female hormones that are low or missing, we feel it is important to mimic the "cycling" women naturally follow when their own hormones are balanced. This means that we do not replace progesterone all month long, as women do not naturally have high levels of progesterone all month long. We cycle natural progesterone, as well as "rock" the hormones a bit to mimic as closely as possible women's natural cycles. Cycling hormones helps protect the body from aging diseases, especially by decreasing insulin resistance and diabetes which are causes of "belly fat." One of the side effects of balanced hormones is bringing a period back, but it is usually a light period that lasts only a few days. If you have had a hysterectomy, we still cycle hormones, but you will not have the side effect of having a period, of course.
Once estrogens and progesterone are balanced, we begin to balance testosterone as well as any other hormones that are imbalanced. We are very sensitive as to how the various endocrine glands interact with each other. For example, when we have low estrogen, we tend to have a high output of adrenals hormones. If we don't act quickly to balance estrogen, the adrenal glands become depleted and fatigued. Menopause is also a common time for the thyroid gland to become depleted. Growth hormone can also begin to wane. Our goal at The Hall Center is to make sure that all the hormones are balanced, supporting health and well-being.
We are asked on a daily basis if we are concerned about hormones causing breast cancer. We are very concerned about breast cancer in general, but are hopeful that the bioidentical hormones will not increase any cancer risks. The risk of breast cancer in woman not on hormones is one out of fifty-four women in her fifties, increasing dramatically to one out of seven women in her nineties. This is a very high incidence of breast cancer in women who choose to age "naturally." We are hoping to improve these statistics by maintaining a healthy balance of female hormones throughout our lifetime. Even if the natural hormones are proven to decrease the risks of cancer, it is important to understand that many women may still develop cancer in spite of balanced hormones, as other causes of breast cancer could still be present. Problems such as pesticides, pollution, dietary intolerance, genetics and other causes of inflammation still cause breast cancer. Studies are not conclusive one way or another as to whether hormones decrease breast cancer or possibly slightly increase it. The newest study from the Women's Health Initiative released this year showed that the non-bioidentical hormones, when given without the synthetic progesterone, show no increased risk of breast cancer. This study was done with a large number of women over many years. We also know that young women have the highest levels of estrogens, but the lowest incidence of breast cancer. If estrogen were a major agent causing breast cancer, then we would expect to see a high level of breast cancer in young women. It is interesting to note that several good male studies show that there is less prostate cancer in men who have higher levels of testosterone. We are hoping that the breast and estrogen may show similar parallels.
As clinicians, we are impressed on a daily basis by how effectively bioidentical hormones reverse diseases of aging. We see our clients improve their cholesterol levels, blood sugar, memory and mood. Cardiovascular disease, the largest cause of death in women, catches up to men at menopause. Natural estrogen helps protect the heart, decrease stroke, and reduce hypertension. Estrogens also protect the bones and improve many arthritic conditions. We feel that the use of bioidentical hormones helps us avoid the need for many pharmaceutical drugs to deal with these problems of unhealthy aging.
In our practice we have handled thousands of patients taking bioidentical hormones over periods as long as 15 years and we are proud and relieved by our good outcomes. We strive to be on the crest of new scientific knowledge, and above all to do no harm. We feel that bioidentical hormones are an important factor in staying vital and healthy. We recognize that other factors such as diet, exercise, decreasing toxins, stress reduction, supplements, and mindfulness are also important in achieving our goals of radiance in health. We respect your choice on this matter and are happy to offer you other integrated solutions for health and well-being if you choose not to try bioidentical hormones.
This information is for educational purposes only, and is not intended to treat or diagnose any health condition.