Hormone Replacement Therapy Q&A

 

What causes hormone imbalances?

​

The endocrine glands in your body must produce and release a precise amount of hormones to keep your body healthy. When hormone levels get too high or low, you’re at risk for serious health problems ranging from cardiovascular and kidney disease, to fatigue and mental health disorders.

You can develop a hormone imbalance if the endocrine gland is damaged or when an underlying health condition affects hormone production. Your hormones can be disrupted by chronic stress, a poor diet, and illness. You can also be perfectly healthy and face a hormone imbalance because some hormones, like growth hormone, melatonin, testosterone, and estrogen naturally decline as you get older.

​

What are some of the most common hormone imbalances?

 

 

The team at AM Diabetes & Endocrinology Center evaluates and treats all types of hormones imbalances. These are only a few examples of the most common ones:

 

Insulin imbalance

Insulin is responsible for moving glucose (sugar) out of your blood when levels get too high. When you don’t have enough insulin, or your body can’t use the insulin you do produce, you develop diabetes.

 

Thyroid hormone imbalance

Thyroid hormones can be high or low, but an underactive thyroid, called hypothyroidism, is more common. Dry skin, weight gain, fatigue, and hoarseness are a few of the possible symptoms of hypothyroidism.

 

Low testosterone

Starting around the age of 30, men’s testosterone levels naturally drop as much as 2% every year. Low testosterone causes symptoms such as a low sex drive, loss of muscle mass and strength, weight gain, and thinning of your beard or body hair.

​

Estrogen Deficit

Women are familiar with hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings when estrogen production stops at menopause. However, low estrogen has a broad and long-lasting impact on your body because it regulates many systems. The loss of estrogen leads to problems such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, dry skin, hair loss, and urinary incontinence.

​

What should I know about hormone replacement therapy?

When you visit AM Diabetes & Endocrinology Center, your provider talks with you about your medical history and symptoms, investigates the cause of your symptoms, and runs lab tests to evaluate your hormone levels. Treatment for a hormone imbalance takes a two-pronged approach. First, the underlying cause of the problem is treated, if possible. However, some root causes can’t be resolved. There’s currently no treatment to cure Type 1 diabetes, for example.  Second, low hormone levels are often treated with hormone replacement therapy. Before prescribing hormones, however, your doctor carefully evaluates your potential risks to be sure hormone replacement is safe for you. The team at AM Diabetes & Endocrinology Center uses bioidentical hormones, which have the same molecular structure as the hormones normally produced by your body. Throughout hormone replacement therapy, you’re carefully monitored at the clinic for signs of toxicity and to adjust your dose, if needed, to maintain the optimal level of hormones.

To learn if you might benefit from hormone replacement therapy, call AM Diabetes & Endocrinology Center or schedule an appointment online.