Menopause is a natural transition that all women go through, typically between the ages of 45-55. It marks the end of a woman's menstrual cycles and fertility. The years leading up to menopause are called perimenopause, which is when hormone levels start to fluctuate and decline. Common symptoms of menopause and perimenopause include:
Sudden waves of heat, sweating, flushing, chills - hot flashes can range from mild to severe and last from 30 seconds to several minutes. Night sweats often disrupt sleep.
Declining estrogen levels cause vaginal tissues to lose elasticity, lubrication, and thickness. This can cause irritation, dryness, and pain.
Hormone fluctuations during perimenopause and menopause can trigger mood swings, anxiety, irritability, and depression.
Insomnia and waking up multiple times during the night can be caused by hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, and hormone changes impacting sleep cycles.
Fat storage shifts to the abdomen and metabolic rate declines due to age-related changes and lower hormones. Maintaining weight gets harder.
Estrogen helps regulate bone turnover and decline in levels leads to accelerated bone loss increasing risk of osteoporosis and fractures.
Estrogen and progesterone influence cognition and memory. Declining levels can impair verbal memory and ability to concentrate.
The symptoms and changes that come with menopause often significantly disrupt many aspects of a woman’s quality of life. They can impair work productivity, disturb sleep, strain relationships, and take a toll on overall health.
Seeking treatment can provide immense relief by reducing severity of symptoms, improving sleep, boosting energy levels, supporting better cognition and memory, and helping women feel more like themselves again. It also has protective effects for long-term health.
For example, starting hormone therapy shortly after menopause onset appears to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease. It also helps slow bone loss and reduce fracture risks that come with untreated menopause.
At Wellness Hormone Clinic, we take a customized and holistic approach to treating menopause and helping women thrive through this transition. Our compassionate practitioners get to know each woman’s unique situation including:
We then craft a personalized treatment plan that addresses the full scope of her changing hormone levels and health needs, including prescription bioidentical hormones as well as diet and lifestyle adjustments tailored to her.
Prescription bioidentical hormones are plant-based hormones that are molecularly identical to those naturally produced by the female body. At Wellness Hormone Clinic we may prescribe:
Estradiol (E2) is the strongest estrogen in women and plays an essential role in reproductive and sexual health along with maintaining bone density, heart health, brain function, skin elasticity, and more.
Declining estradiol is the main driver of most bothersome menopause symptoms. Restoring estradiol levels alleviates hot flashes/night sweats, vaginal atrophy, sleep disruption, cognitive issues, and can improve energy, mood, and sexual health.
We prescribe FDA-approved bioidentical estradiol including pills, patches, gels, inserts, sprays, and compounded formulations to best meet each woman's needs.
Progesterone works synergistically with estrogen throughout the menstrual cycle and in many body tissues. In addition to regulating periods, progesterone helps stabilize mood, aids sleep quality, maintains bone density, and more.
Depending on a woman's uterus status, we may prescribe bioidentical progesterone to counter effects of estrogen on uterine tissues. Bio-progesterone comes in oral capsules, inserts, gels, and custom compounded formulations.
Testosterone plays an integral role in libido, sexual function, energy levels, muscle tone, motivation, and mood in women. Testosterone levels can start to decline 10-15 years before menopause onset causing unpleasant effects.
We offer low-dose prescription testosterone creams, gels, sprays, and pills custom-formulated to help counter these effects, while maintaining levels within the normal healthy female range.
Studies show that practicing yoga can help reduce menopause symptoms. Specific poses that gently twist the abdomen can increase blood flow to the pelvis and help regulate hormones. Even just 15 minutes of yoga daily provides women relief from hot flashes, mood swings, and sleep issues during this transition.
In addition to hormone therapy, making certain diet and lifestyle changes can further ease menopause transition and support women feeling their best during this change. Our practitioners offer guidance on:
- Phytoestrogen-rich foods: Flax, tofu, edamame, beans - Calcium and Vitamin D for bone health - Magnesium to prevent cramps and insomnia - Adaptogenic herbs to manage stress
- Weight-bearing, muscle-strengthening exercises - Yoga and meditation to reduce stress and anxiety
- Consistent sleep-wake cycles - Relaxation techniques - Safe sleeping enviroments
We also connect patients with trusted wellness providers in the Kenilworth community including:
Working collaboratively across this support network, we help guide women through menopause transition toward resilient health, happiness, and wellbeing.
If you are a woman in the Kenilworth area experiencing unpleasant perimenopause or menopause symptoms, we encourage you to explore whether hormone therapy may be right for you!
Some key steps to get started:
- Hot flashes, night sweats - Vaginal dryness, discomfort - Insomnia, sleep disruptions - Mood changes and irregular cycles
Work with your healthcare provider to test levels of:
Meet with one of our compassionate Wellness Hormone Clinic practitioners to review your symptoms, health history, goals, and develop a customized treatment plan to help you thrive through menopause.
Wellness Hormone Clinic is a trusted hormone therapy clinic located right in the heart of Kenilworth conveniently off Lake Michgan Drive.
Our gracious and discreet office provides a warm, welcoming environment where we build caring connections with patients. We look forward to potentially working with you on your path toward balanced hormones and vivacious health during the menopause transition and beyond!
