Hormone Replacement Therapy: Men and Women
Each part of your body, from your brain to your skin, including muscles, kidneys, and heart, take direction from your endocrine system. Its glands send out the hormones that act like your body’s chemical messengers, telling your body what to do, when to do it, and for how long. That is why your endocrine system is so important to your well-being!
WOMEN
When menopause kicks in, usually in the late 40s, the levels of estrogen and progesterone in women can get out of balance. These are important hormones in a woman’s reproductive system, responsible for the release of eggs and the preparation of the womb for egg implantation. As the number of eggs falls (which is natural as women age), so does estrogen production. This imbalance leads to a number of inconvenient symptoms, such as hot flashes, sweating, bone thinning, thinning hair, moodiness, sleep problems, and many others.
Hormone replacement therapy is used to help balance these hormones in order to provide relief to these symptoms — and it can even reduce some health risks such as osteoporosis!
MEN
It’s natural for men’s testosterone levels to decrease as they get older. Some men also experience unnaturally low levels of testosterone due to a dysfunction of the testicles that prevents the body from producing the right amount of this hormone. Because testosterone is required for a myriad of bodily functions such as male sexual development, reproductive function, building muscle bulk and even maintaining healthy levels of red blood cells, hormone replacement therapy could be a good option for these men. If you have been experiencing symptoms that may be connected with hormonal imbalance and are looking for answers, schedule an appointment with OC Sports and Wellness!
