We hear it all the time.

Your body is changing. Your skin is crawling. Your libido is non-existent. You would think… surely my OBGYN has the answers!

Unfortunately, you encounter this: “You are too young for menopause,” “Welcome to the new normal,” or “There is no need to do your labs as they will just come back all normal.” All too often, you will be offered a prescription for birth control and/or antidepressants.

You leave the office feeling confused, unheard, and perhaps a bit silly.

Is it all in my head?!

In some cases, compassionate doctors may prescribe hormone replacement therapy in the form of synthetic estradiol. This may provide relief; however, most women have to be deep in menopausal misery before they can get help.

Menopausal transition can take a decade or more. Why must women suffer needlessly for years before they can get help? Dr Mary Claire Haver, a renowned women’s health advocate, states, “The process is natural, but that doesn’t mean it is not harmful.”

As we age and our hormones are depleted, there is a strong correlation for an increased risk of developing serious health conditions such as cardiac disease and metabolic diseases, including diabetes, dementia, and osteoporosis. All women should be informed and given the opportunity to supplement with bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) to mitigate these risks.

So… given the potential seriousness of this critical transition, all women go through…

Here are three main reasons women face barriers to hormone care:

1) Hormone health is barely taught in medical school. A 2017 Mayo Clinic survey reported that less than 7% of general practitioners feel equipped to handle hormonal health issues. A more recent survey by the Menopause Society found that only 30% of OBGYNs have any menopause curriculum in practice.

2)There is a general and prevalent idea that women’s hormone health and certainly their sexual health matters less after their childbearing years. This is a cultural problem in our society. This is reflected by the 30+ FDA-approved testosterone and sexual health medications available for men, while concurrently, there are zero FDA-approved testosterone medications for women, and most recently, two female sexual health medications have finally come to the market.

3)The 2002 Women’s Health Initiative Study decimated progress and access to hormone care despite hundreds of follow-up studies showing the results were erroneous and over-exaggerated. Despite this, the damage was done, and the prevalent idea that hormones are “bad” persists in doctor’s offices across the nation to this day.

So where are we now….

Before starting any medication, patients should be carefully assessed by a licensed medical provider for safety and appropriateness of treatment. We know that hormone therapy, including testosterone therapy, has been safely used for the treatment of menopause symptoms since the 1930s. We now have multiple long-term studies showing that hormone therapy can be breast protective as well as cardio protective for women. We know that women who start HRT earlier in their menopausal transition have a better outcome than those who wait until symptoms are full blown. Simply put, hormone therapy can increase the years of your life and the quality of those years.

Integrated Health Alliance is a medically directed integrative health clinic. Our providers have over a decade of experience in prescribing life-affirming hormone therapy. Our message to all women: We hear you. We believe you. We will treat you based on your symptoms. Labs are tools that may not reflect how you actually feel.

We use bioidentical estrogen, progesterone, and female-favorite testosterone. Women love the way testosterone makes them feel strong, virile, and connected to their bodies again. Strong muscles build strong bones and prevent osteoporosis.

We are actively enrolling new patients. You deserve to have a strong body, robust sex life, vibrant energy, and mental acuity for many years to come. We can help.  Visit integratedhealthall.com to learn more and schedule a free consultation.