Hormone Replacement Therapy

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) offers patients numerous benefits, from relieving menopause symptoms and restoring physical energy levels to improving sexual intimacy. Matthew Taon, MD, RPVI, WCC, CIIP, and his team at Herald Medical PLLC in San Antonio, Texas, use HRT to help anyone struggling with a hormone deficiency. Call Herald Medical PLLC for advice on hormone replacement therapy, or schedule a consultation online today.

What is hormone replacement therapy?

Your body uses hormones for multiple purposes, from digestion to reproduction. Hormonal imbalances can significantly disrupt many functions and processes, reducing your overall well-being. Hormone replacement therapy addresses the imbalance to restore health and function.

Hormones may become imbalanced for various reasons, including natural aging and thyroid or other hormone disorders. Women are also vulnerable to changing hormone levels during their menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause.

What problems do hormone imbalances cause?

Several long-term diseases are due to a hormone imbalance. The most common are hypothyroidism (low levels of thyroid hormone) and diabetes (a lack of the hormone insulin or the body becoming resistant to insulin).

These conditions require specific treatments that seek to balance the affected hormones. Hormone replacement therapy most often refers to problems caused by low levels of the female or male sex hormones.

What symptoms can hormone replacement therapy treat?

Common hormonal problems that women experience during menopause include:

• Irregular menstruation
• Dry skin
• Hot flashes
• Night sweats
• Vaginal dryness
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Chronic fatigue
• Thinning hair
• Loss of libido
• Weight changes
• Brain fog
• Difficulty sleeping

Men can also experience problems related to a drop in the male sex hormone testosterone. This often occurs in middle age, around the same time women go through menopause, giving rise to the terms male menopause or andropause.

Unlike female menopause, andropause doesn’t mark the end of fertility. However, the natural decline in hormones does cause many similar symptoms, including fatigue, weight gain, and loss of libido. Men might additionally experience erectile dysfunction, reduced muscle mass, and a lack of motivation.

The Herald Medical PLLC team assesses your current hormone levels with a simple blood test before prescribing the most appropriate hormone supplementation for your body chemistry.

What does hormone replacement therapy involve?

HRT is available in several forms. Women often take pills or use patches that slowly secrete the hormones into their blood throughout the day. If their symptoms primarily affect the vagina, they can choose to use a hormone cream instead.

Men might choose skin patches or gels that go in the mouth. The Herald Medical PLLC team doesn’t use pills very often because oral testosterone could have side effects. Both men and women could also use long-acting hormone injections or pellets.

Call Herald Medical PLLC to see which hormone replacement therapy method best suits your needs. Alternatively, you can use the online booking feature to schedule a consultation at any time.