Managing Holiday Stress: Self-Care Strategies for Women
The holidays are supposed to be a joyous and fun time for everyone, but women often end up in a managerial role. Here’s how you can carve out time for your own enjoyment this year.
Starting Bioidentical Hormone Therapy in the New Year? Here’s What to Expect
While every woman is different, many experience similar symptoms when they hit menopause. Most of these symptoms can be unpleasant. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is a common way to resolve your symptoms and get back to your life.
At Women’s Health Care Center of Houston, with two locations in Houston, Texas, our team of women’s health and reproduction specialists help women struggling with menopause symptoms regulate their hormones and restore balance to their lives.
Menopause symptoms
Menopause symptoms cover a broad range of issues, and not all women will have the same reaction to menopause. Here are some of the most common complaints:
Sleep problems
Women going through menopause may suddenly find themselves experiencing sleep issues, like insomnia, nightmares, or sleep that leaves them still feeling tired in the morning.
Hot flashes
Another unpleasant menopausal symptom women can experience is hot flashes. You’ll be just fine one minute, but pouring with sweat the next, wondering how to hide unexpected pit stains and desperately running to lower the thermostat at all hours.
Night sweats
Nothing may feel worse than waking up from sleep with your sheets soaked through and twisted around your body. You’ll have to keep the laundry going constantly just to keep yourself in dry sheets.
Mood swings
A lot of people like to treat the mood swings that can come with menopause as one big joke, but do they really think anyone wants to feel irritable and out of sorts all the time? Hormone changes can wreak havoc on emotions and your mental health, even causing deep depression.
Weaker bones
Menopause affects bone loss. In fact, as much as 20% of a woman’s lifetime bone loss can happen post-menopause. Osteoporosis affects 10% of women worldwide, and the loss of estrogen due to menopause just speeds up the process.
Lower libido
Sexual impulses may fluctuate and drop after menopause, which can make you feel irritable at the idea of being touched. There are good reasons for this: menopause can cause vaginal dryness and sore breasts, both of which can make you want to shut down physical intimacy.
What to expect from bioidentical hormone replacement therapy
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) replaces some of the estrogen and progesterone you stop producing when you hit menopause, dampening down the symptoms and letting your body adjust. This can relieve most of the symptoms listed above.
A popular form of HRT is bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. These plant-based hormones are chemically identical to the ones your own body used to produce, and many women say they seem to work better and have less side effects than regular HRT, which utilizes synthetic hormones.
When you start BHRT, you may have an adjustment period while we find the right dose for you. This can mean your symptoms come and go for a bit, or that you even start spotting slightly. This is normal and we’ll work with you until we find the right dose.
The new year is a great time to start BHRT. You can journal your daily experiences, track your symptoms, and consult with your specialist frequently until your system levels out.
If you’re interested in starting bioidentical hormone replacement therapy in 2025 and want to schedule an appointment, call 713-365-2900 or visit our contact page for more information.
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