Relieve Menopausal Symptoms with Hormone Pellet Therapy in ABQ

Menopause is often heralded by a plethora of symptoms but is particularly marked by headaches and hot flashes. These menopausal headaches often become so intense that it hampers one's way of life.

But the good news is, women do not have to go through these dreaded symptoms the entire duration of menopause. Hormone pellet therapy opened a new avenue for everyone to conveniently enjoy the benefits of hormone replacement. 

Headaches associated with menopause are often characterized as intense, one-sided, throbbing, or pulsing, and are often associated with nausea and vomiting. This doesn’t just happen during menopause but starts as early as a woman approaches their perimenopausal transition stages or during the premenopausal stage.

Women are often described as a walking ball of hormones. These repeated fluctuations in hormones cause headaches of varying intensities.

More than half of women who present with bothersome headaches notice a link between their symptoms and their periods. A drop in estrogen levels often triggers moderate to intense headaches and migraines.

Headaches are actually a symptom of migraines. With estrogen playing a huge part in triggering migraines, it is no longer surprising to see an onset of migraines with menopause since it affects 90% of menopausal women.

Understanding Menopause

Menopause may be a normal physiological event, but it is a dreaded phase in life because of the symptoms associated with it. Menopause is defined as that one last final menstrual period and is characterized by loss of follicular function. 

With future quality of life at stake, hormone pellet therapy becomes a potential game changer among menopausal women.

Before a woman goes into menopause, she is still considered to be of reproductive age. During this phase, every month an egg is released from the ovaries because of the collective action and balance of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

Specific hormones like the follicle stimulating hormones (FSH) and luteinizing hormones (LH) are responsible for sending messages from the brain to the ovaries, and vice versa. This goes on like clockwork until such time when the ovaries start to run out of eggs, and the chaos begins.

Menopause versus Perimenopause, versus Postmenopause

Perimenopause happens when the ovaries start running out of eggs, thus causing lesser estrogen secretion. The brain goes into a little frenzy trying to compensate for the decreased hormone levels, making efforts to produce lots of FSH to balance out decreased estrogen levels. 

These series of fluctuations cause the symptoms associated with menopause. This explains the headaches, joint pains, mood swings, irritability, forgetfulness, decreased libido, and the pertinent symptom of hot flashes. Perimenopause usually starts in the mid to late 40s, although it can vary significantly from person to person specifically in special cases of premature ovarian insufficiency.

Menopause is deemed to happen 12 months after the last menstrual period. It is the phase where the ovaries completely stop working, and estrogen levels stay low. 

Technically, a person is only menopausal for a day, and the following day she is already deemed postmenopausal.

Postmenopause happens right after menopause and continues for the rest of the woman’s life. This does not mean, however, that the symptoms associated with menopause are over! Some women report 4 to 5 more years of experiencing the same set of symptoms though a bit less infrequent than in the perimenopausal stage. 

Hormone pellet therapy doesn’t just give short term relief. Deciding to go for it just might be redeeming several years of one’s life back!

Menopause and Overall Health

Aside from the debilitating effects of symptoms associated with menopause, some health conditions also become more prevalent in women. Cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis are among these conditions to watch out for.

Estrogen accounts for the regulation of bone metabolism. It influences the activity of osteoblasts, cells that are responsible for producing new bones. Thus, osteoporosis becomes a problem in postmenopausal women because of lesser bone density. 

Osteoporosis results in fragile bones and puts a person at a higher risk for fractures. Clinicians recommend bone density testing every couple of years to determine a postmenopausal woman’s risk for pathologic fractures. A well-balanced diet and specific weight-bearing exercises are essential to ensure bone strength.

Another important thing to remember is; pregnancy can still happen during menopause. Thus, contraception is still recommended for women who do not wish to get pregnant. Contraception can be done up to two years following the last menstrual period.

A healthy lifestyle is highly recommended to mitigate symptoms. This includes:

• Eating a balanced diet and purposefully eating foods with high calcium content
• Regular exercise of at least 30 minutes most days
• Smoking cessation practices
• Sleeping at least 8 hours daily
• Being mindful of one’s mental health
• Stress management practices

Hormone replacement therapy and hormone pellets

Awareness about menopause as a whole has been very instrumental in preparing women in terms of symptom management. One very important option to consider is hormone replacement therapy.

Hormone replacement therapy consists of medications targeted to replace fluctuating hormone levels in menopause. Aside from alleviating symptoms, it is also proven to prevent bone loss and reduce the incidence of pathologic fractures in women.

Just like any other medication, there are risks involved in hormone replacement therapy. It is thus recommended to have this therapy under the care of experienced clinicians and healthcare providers. Moreover, regular monitoring should be done and hormone replacement should be tailor-fitted to patients. 

Hormone pellets are considered a breakthrough in hormone replacement therapy. Instead of oral pills, the hormones are enclosed in pellets which are inserted into the fat deposits below the skin, usually in the thigh area.

These pellets can provide a steady supply of needed hormones for the next three months. It basically stabilizes hormone levels. This eventually leads to fewer menopausal symptoms particularly headaches, migraines, irritability, and decreased libido.

Another significant advantage of hormone pellets is their direct absorption into the bloodstream, bypassing the liver and the rest of the gastrointestinal tract. Most adverse effects and safety concerns are associated with hormone replacement therapy done via the oral route.

Takeaway

Hormone replacement therapy in the form of hormone pellets is a promising way to get through symptoms associated with menopause. Hormone pellets can highly improve quality of life with fewer associated adverse events.

Hormone replacement therapy is not, however, a one-size-fits-all kind of solution. It has to be customized to every patient, highly dependent on the patient's medical history and screening findings. It is very important to seek consultation and advice on hormone replacement therapy from a reputable and skilled clinician.

Be prepared and be ready to enjoy your golden years! Book an appointment with us right now so we can walk you through everything you need to know about hormone replacement therapy and hormone pellets!