The hormones in our body play a vital role in our overall health, so when they’re out of sync, they can cause symptoms that range from mild to debilitating. Luckily, hormone imbalances can normally be treated with bio-equivalent hormone pellets, which we offer here at Premiere Center for Health and Wellness in Cincinnati, OH. Safe and highly effective, this therapy has helped many patients regain their lives, and most adults with hormone issues are good candidates for treatment.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Hormone Pellets?
Both men and women who are experiencing the symptoms of a hormone imbalance are normally good candidates for this therapy. If you’re a woman going through menopause and the symptoms are affecting your life, or if you’re a man who is having physical symptoms due to low testosterone or other hormonal issues, you’ll likely benefit from bio-equivalent hormone pellets.
However, this is a versatile treatment, as it can address hormone issues caused by a wide variety of causes. So, regardless of your age or what is causing your hormone issues, you may be the perfect candidate for this therapy, which we can determine with both diagnostic testing and consultation.
What Symptoms Do Hormone Imbalances Cause?
While hormonal issues can cause many different symptoms, here are some of the more common ones:
Mood Changes
Whether it’s anger, sadness, or mood swings throughout the day, hormone issues can affect people’s moods in different ways. They can also cause debilitating issues related to mood, including long-term depression.
Hot Flashes
A common symptom related to hormone imbalances, especially during menopause, is hot flashes, which are when you suddenly feel hot in areas such as your face, head, or upper torso. This is believed to be the result of low estrogen levels, which can affect an area of the brain that controls our body temperature known as the hypothalamus.
Trouble Sleeping
Hormone problems can also cause you to lose sleep because they can cause insomnia, night sweats, and nightmares. In some cases, these issues can also lead to apnea, which can disrupt your sleep and cause serious health issues if not addressed.
Heart Problems
Your heart and cardiovascular system can also be affected in many ways, though heart palpitations are one of the more common symptoms you might experience. Heart disease, strokes, and both high and low blood pressure can all occur when there’s a dysregulation of hormones in the body.
Cognitive Issues
When hormones are out of alignment with each other, they can cause many cognitive issues as well, including brain fog. You may find that you’re having difficulty concentrating on tasks or trouble remembering certain things. Estrogen imbalances have been linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease as well.
Skin Problems
Some of the more visible symptoms of a hormonal problem are skin imperfections, such as acne, flaky skin, enlarged pores, and other changes in both the texture and appearance of the skin. Estrogen influences collagen and elastin production, which are proteins that keep the skin supple, and testosterone and progesterone play a role in oil production.
Low Libido
Men and women can both experience a drop in sexual interest or low libido because hormones can have a major effect on our sexual health. Other sexual issues that may arise include vaginal dryness for women and erectile dysfunction for men.
Weight Changes
Weight gain can occur as well because some hormones, such as estrogen, can influence the body’s metabolism. These issues can also cause weight loss in some cases, and because hormones can also affect muscle strength, men sometimes notice a loss of muscle mass as well.
High Cholesterol
When estrogen levels are dangerously low, both low-density lipoprotein and triglycerides can increase in the body. Both of these are bad for the body and can lead to high cholesterol, which can then cause serious complications that can potentially be fatal.
Other Issues
Hormonal imbalances can negatively affect everything in our bodies from our breathing to our vision, so no matter what symptoms you’re having, it’s important that you have your hormone levels tested to see if an imbalance may be causing them.
What Is Bio-Equivalent Hormone Therapy?
Bio-equivalent hormone therapy is an effective way of treating hormone imbalances, which can cause many severe symptoms if left untreated. This therapy rebalances hormones back to healthy levels by providing the body with essential hormones that may be lacking, such as estrogen, progesterone, or testosterone, depending on your needs.
This is done by inserting a pellet beneath the skin where it slowly dissolves and distributes these hormones throughout the body. Both men and women with hormonal issues can benefit from this treatment, and the results can dramatically improve a person’s quality of life by relieving various symptoms caused by hormone dysregulation.
What Causes Hormone Imbalances?
It’s well-known that menopause can cause drastic changes in hormone levels and can cause many different symptoms in women. However, testosterone issues or other hormonal fluctuations can cause problems for men as well.
Stress, surgeries, and even sudden changes in one’s lifestyle can all affect both men and women as well. Sometimes, it can be difficult to pinpoint the exact cause, but diagnostic testing can identify when there’s an issue and which hormones are affected.
What Should I Expect When I Schedule My Appointment?
After scheduling with us, you can expect the following steps during the treatment process:
1. Lab Testing
The first step after you schedule an appointment for Hormone Pellets treatment is diagnostic lab testing, where your blood will be drawn to test your hormone levels to determine which hormones you may have too little or too much of.
2. Consultation
After identifying which hormones are unbalanced, we’ll then carry out a consultation to discuss this and answer any questions you might have. During this consultation, we’ll need to know about your medical history, your expectations for this treatment, and whether you’re taking any medications.
3. Treatment
The Hormone Pellets treatment session is a very quick one which typically takes less than 15 minutes in most cases and is normally started immediately after the consultation. We’ll start by numbing an area of skin near your buttocks with a topical anesthetic. The pellet will then be inserted by making a tiny incision in this area, and after inserting the pellet, we’ll then cover the area with a small bandage.
4. Aftercare
Once the area is covered with the bandage, you’ll be ready to go home with no downtime or significant recovery steps needed. However, because the bandage will need to stay in place for a few days until the incision area heals, you should avoid strenuous exercise, as well as bathing, though both showering and light exercise are perfectly fine.
Should I Stop My Other Hormone Therapy Treatment?
If you’re currently taking any other hormone therapies, we’ll need you to temporarily stop taking these the night before your first appointment because we’ll need to draw your blood to test your hormone levels, and this can affect the results.
Once we have the results of your hormone test back, you can then resume your original treatment regimen, and we’ll explain how to slowly stop taking it so it doesn’t interfere with the inserted pellet.
How Soon Do Hormone Pellets Start Working?
How quickly you see improvements after your treatment session depends on many factors, including your metabolism and the types of symptoms you’re experiencing. It can take time for the pellet to fully dissolve, though this process normally begins within the first day, so you may start to notice improvements within 24 hours. Some patients may not notice the results for at least a month, as it can still take some time for your body to respond to this treatment.
How Long Do the Results Typically Last?
The results can last quite a long time for most patients, though six months is the average time frame. Many patients return every six months to have another pellet inserted, though it’s also common for some patients to only need a few treatments until their symptoms fully resolve.
The cause of your hormone imbalance can be temporary or chronic, and this will play the largest role in how long the results will last and how often you’ll need to return for additional treatments.
Schedule Your Appointment Today
The symptoms of hormone imbalances can disrupt your life in many ways, but most of the time, there is something you can do about it. To begin treatment, contact us today at Premiere Center for Health and Wellness in Cincinnati, OH to schedule your initial appointment. After your lab results are back, we can get started by personalizing this treatment with customized pellets designed to match your specific needs, so you can get symptom relief and start loving life again.