From a sexual standpoint, testosterone also has wonderful benefits for the female patient.
As testosterone becomes low, sexual desire is also low. In addition to that, when we get testosterone to a healthy, optimal level, not only does libido and sexual desire improve, but the quality of the orgasm also improves. And so at the end of the day, there are many, many health benefits to testosterone replacement for women. And we’ve seen that when all three of the sex hormone, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone are balance, that the quality of life scores for women are much improved.
Male Patients and Testosterone.
Now if I can shift and talk specifically to our male patients. In the male patient, hormone balance is also very important. Testosterone is your dominant hormone. However, a lot of men don’t realize that as they age, testosterone has a tendency to shift to estrogen. Men could become estrogen dominant as well and this is an age accelerator. We also know that obesity and alcohol consumption can also the male patient to shift his testosterone to estradiol. That’s why it’s important to measure estradiol and testosterone in all of our male patients, and to also work real hard to help you balance those hormones.
In our male patients the symptoms are very similar to our female patient. First sign and symptom that we see is low energy and low endurance to get
through your day. In fact, there’s a lot of men that come to our practice that don’t have any sexual concerns whatsoever and sometimes they’re under the misunderstanding that their hormones are okay. However, if you’re feeling tired, if you have low energy, if you’re having a difficult time getting through your day, if you’re finding yourself sitting on a sofa or your exercise endurance isn’t the same, your male hormone might have already started to decline.
Testosterone is important for mental clarity, mental sharpness, we need that in order to be as efficient and as good as we can in the workforce. For men, it’s also important for the cardiovascular system. In fact, if your male hormone is low, your risk for having heart disease goes up, your risk for having diabetes also goes up. Men also need testosterone for bone health and muscle health. And last but not least, sexual desire, quality of the erection, and just personal satisfaction when it comes to intimacy with your partner.
And so once a patient realizes that they might have an imbalance with their hormones, based on their symptoms, the next step is to see one of the providers and get a simple blood test. We can evaluate your sex hormones, estradiol, progesterone and testosterone with a simple, non-fasting blood test that most health insurances cover. Once we have the results, your practitioner will help you balance your hormones.
How to replace hormones
Now let’s talk about the different ways that BioIdentical Hormones can be replaced. First and foremost, in men and women we don’t give oral hormones. The BioIdentical Hormones are not designed to be in the stomach. They get broken down by the acids in the stomach and then when the remnants of that hormone go to the liver, it causes other adverse effects. It can raise the blood pressure, it can increase clotting factors and this is the reason why we absolutely do not like to prescribe BioIdentical hormones by mouth.
Creams have been available for over a decade. However, BioIdentical creams are not the preferred method of delivery in our medical practice. First and foremost, the absorption is inconsistent and we see that men and women purchase these creams and sometimes the creams don’t get absorbed. There’s also a condition called dermal fatigue where a patient might start off with a cream and then over time the skin will not absorb it. In addition to this, the hormone creams are very stable at room temperature and can get on pets and children and other family members and cause disruptions in their hormones as well. And so the BioIdentical Hormone creams are not the preferred method.
A rapid dissolve tablet is available and all three hormones, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, can be delivered in the rapid dissolve tablet. The half life of the rapid dissolve tablet is ten to twelve hours and that requires men and women to take that medicine twice a day. That can be cumbersome for some patients. In addition to this, the condition of the oral cavity can impact the absorption of the rapid dissolve tablet. When a patient uses a rapid dissolve tablet, we ask that they don’t eat or drink any food, liquid, in order to prevent that hormone from getting into the stomach.
The hormone pellet therapy is our preferred method for many reasons
Hormone pellet has been used widely in our practice for over a decade. We’ve placed over 10,000 pellets in our female and male patients and have seen that this form of hormone replacement therapy works the best. What we see is that the absorption of the hormone is like no other and it’s consistent. We know that when we deliver estrogen to the female patient, it’s going to be absorbed within three days. And when we deliver testosterone to men and women, it will be absorbed within seven days.
The hormones in the pellet are actually released based on cardiac output, which means how fast your heart is beating. So during the day when you’re active or when you might be at the gym exercising, your body’s going to release more hormone. At night when you’re resting and asleep and your heartrate is sower, the hormone doesn’t get released as quickly. The hormone pellet therapy actually lasts the longest in the system as well, so it makes it very, very easy for those of us that are busy. For instance in the female patient, the hormone pellet will last four months. In the male patient, the hormone pellet will last five to six months. And this is why we believe that hormone pellet therapy, or subcutaneous hormone pellet therapy, is the best delivery method for BioIdentical Hormones.
Okay, so let’s talk about this painless, for most people, and very simple procedure. The BioIdentical Pellet looks like a small Tic Tac. In our female patients, we might get two or three pellets. And in the male patient, you might receive anywhere from eight, up to ten, pellets. We use a very simple procedure that requires a local anesthetic with Lidocaine. We make a very tiny incision, and then we take a device called a trocar, and it goes about one centimeter underneath the skin and then we place these hormone pellets gently under the skin, for men and women, typically in the buttocks, but sometimes in the flank for our male patients that are active. No stitches are required in this procedure. We typically place a band aid and the skin will heal naturally on its own. We ask after the pellet is placed, that our patients minimize their activity for about three to five days. We ask that they do not do strenuous activities such as lunges and squats, because we don’t want the pellets to move out.
We ask that our patients do not sit or submerse themselves in dirty water, such as a bathtub, a jacuzzi, a river or an ocean and that’s only to minimize the chances for infection. Again, it’s a very simple procedure and for most patients it’s painless. And it has such a wonderful benefit for our patients. All the quality of life improvement that I discussed earlier with little to no downside.
I want to thank you for taking the time learn more about BioIdentical Hormone Replacement Therapy. Myself and all the providers at Vital Life Wellness Center are looking forward to helping you achieve optimal hormone balance and a healthy, quality life.
