HormoneMD is committed to providing safe BHRT protocols for each and every patient. Licensed practitioners follow strict results-driven and data-driven guidelines backed by clinical research and real world results.
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is a well-established treatment for women with menopause symptoms. Understanding the potential side effects and safety measures is crucial for ensuring effective and safe treatment.
Before starting treatment, patients undergo a live virtual health screening to ensure that BHRT is appropriate for them.
Ideally, you want to take the Minimum Effective Dose (MED) for the shortest period possible. But treating hormone imbalances with hormone therapy is not about a set duration.
Your unique symptoms, needs, medical history, feelings, and quality of life are the most important benchmarks. A 2017 study in the Journal of the American Medicine Association (JAMA) found that taking HRT for five to seven years was not associated with long-term mortality risks.
Some women take hormone therapy for two years, some for five years, and some for eight years.
Each woman is unique. Medical history, family health history, symptoms, and current health all are factors in your doctor's evaluation.
The best approach is to keep an open dialogue with your practitioner so you can discuss your symptoms and needs alongside benefits and risks.
What's the goal?
Your primary goal is to mimic the biorhythmic cycles of a young, beautiful, healthy woman
Estrogen, progesterone, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and testosterone are among the critical hormones that play an important role in making you feel normal.
Whether you elect continuous or biorhythmic protocols, HormoneMD is committed to monitoring your hormones to ensure that you feel the way you want to feel
How common are side effects?
Women rarely have side effects from menopause therapy, but we still want you to be informed
Side effects can include:
- Breast pain or tenderness
- Dizziness or light-headedness, nausea
- Headaches
- Mood swings
- Weight gain
- Swelling of feet and lower legs, numbness in legs
- Vaginal bleeding or irregular spotting
- Fluid retention (very rare)
Side effects typically go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medications
What are the risks of hormone therapy?
- Increased risk of endometrial cancer (only if you have your uterus and are not taking progesterone alongside estrogen, HormoneMD does not allow patients with a uterus to decline progesterone)
- Increased risk of blood clots and stroke
- Reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease
- Increased chance of gallbladder/gallstone problems
- Increased risk of breast cancer with long-term use (a rare increase of absolute risk of less than one additional case of breast cancer per 1000 person-years of use)
- Reduced risk of breast cancer in women with a hysterectomy
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Plus, HormoneMD recommends rolling your muscles to relieve muscle tightness and assist with post-workout recovery so that your muscles stay flexible, healthy, and supple anyway.