Hormone replacement therapy is an effective method to restore hormonal balance in the body if you suffer from deficient hormones. HRT can bring positive changes in the body for those with low estrogen, progesterone, or testosterone levels.
Hormonal imbalances in the body come with various symptoms that tell you it's time to get hormonal replacement therapy. Learn more about the signs to look out for before starting on HRT in this article.
What are The Signs and Symptoms You Require Hormone Replacement Therapy?
Read on to determine whether you are a candidate for HRT considering your symptoms.
Sexual Dysfunction
Sexual dysfunction is a typical result of low hormones. Low levels of the hormone testosterone, which keeps you sexually healthy, can lead to low libido.
Research has shown that hormonally unbalanced women with lower amounts of androgen frequently suffer from low libido, low self-esteem, sexual dysfunction, depression, and poor quality of life.
The reason for this is that with low hormone levels, the vaginal and labial tissues may become thin due to decreased blood flow to the vagina. Their receptivity to sexual stimulation drops, which lowers their sexual desire.
In men, low testosterone levels can also affect how they perform and feel during sexual intercourse. It may be more challenging to be comfortable with your spouse due to hormone changes that might make you moody or angry.
Muscle Mass Reduction
Menopause may affect women's strength and flexibility due to loss of muscle mass as the body produces less hormone. Sarcopenia is a condition of muscle loss that affects middle-aged and extremely older women, and menopause may contribute to this condition.
While estrogen levels naturally start to diminish throughout menopause, visceral fat accumulation increases while bone density, the muscular mass, and strength decrease.
But those who undergo Hormone Therapy For Women may experience less muscular weakness overall. However, to assist patients in gaining muscle and retaining their physical strength, the treatment should be combined with additional methods for better results.
Hot Flashes
A typical menopausal symptom known as a hot flash is followed by flushed skin and sweat that might seem like an unexpected heat wave. Hot flashes often start during menopause and might linger into postmenopause or the rest of your life.
The cause of this symptom is that your hypothalamus, which controls the body temperature, becomes more sensitive to even the most minor variations in body temperature when estrogen levels are low.
So, your hypothalamus may not accurately perceive how hot or cold you feel. It may set off a series of events that end in a hot flash. Hot weather, tight clothes, heat, smoking, spicy meals, caffeine, stress, and alcohol are just a few examples of the many common factors that can cause hot flashes.
Extreme Mood Swings
Mood swings in women can begin as premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. During the menopausal transition, particularly in the months just before or during perimenopause, some women start experiencing mood swings.
Reduced estrogen levels are the main culprit that can cause symptoms including irritability, exhaustion, anxiety, sleep issues, and other issues throughout menopause. In addition, the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine may also be negatively impacted, leading to depression.
While mood swings are common during menopause due to hormonal changes, you may find daily tasks challenging to perform due to the severity of the mood fluctuations. You may want to speak with a doctor if you notice abrupt, severe mood swings so they can evaluate whether there is a hormone imbalance or an underlying health condition.
Loss of Hair
Testosterone and estrogen are two essential contributors to hair growth in men and women. These hormones play a role in the growth, thickness, and density of hair. However, as the levels of estrogen and progesterone start to decline during perimenopause, the hair thins and grow more slowly as a result.
Additionally, a drop in progesterone and estrogen will result in a rise in your androgen levels. In contrast to males, women have lower levels of these hormones.
Androgens have been linked to androgenic alopecia, which is a kind of hair loss where the hair follicles on the head shrivel. Thus, women with higher amounts of these hormones may experience hair loss. The good news is that HRT could help promote hair growth.
Sleep Disorders
The enormous physical, hormonal, and psychological changes that occur during menopause are to blame for any insomnia you may be having. Night sweats, sleeplessness, and respiratory disorders are a few of the most prevalent sleep disorders.
Lack of sleep increases the risk of sadness, anxiety, accidents while driving, difficulties concentrating, and memory issues.
Moreover, sleep deprivation can worsen headaches and inflammation. You may also have a greater chance of developing chronic conditions like heart disease or high blood pressure.
Weight Gain
Weight gain is a typical perimenopausal and menopausal side effect for women with low estrogen levels. Unbalanced metabolism or the body utilizing carbohydrates and blood sugars less effectively may result from the female body losing estrogen.
Decreased amounts of estrogen can cause fat to be stored, which frequently leads to weight gain. Moreover, low testosterone levels may cause men to have metabolic abnormalities in their energy production and storage.
Fat accumulation on the belly, flanks, and upper chest may be seen in certain men with low testosterone levels.
Urinary Issues
The main cause of urogenital atrophy is decreased estrogen production following menopause. Loss of muscle mass in the vagina and the urinary system leads to urogenital atrophy. The bladder, storing urine, and the urethra tube, removing urine from the body, lose their ability to control urinary functions when estrogen levels are low.
Decreased estrogen also leads to bacterial and fungal infections as it changes the pH of the vagina and vulva. Another cause of menopausal urinary issues is pelvic organ prolapse, a disorder in which one or more pelvic organs slip into the vagina.
After menopause, stress connected to vaginal delivery may cause this syndrome to become obvious.
Winding Up
HRT helps restore the dwindling levels of estrogen and progesterone and reduces menopausal symptoms in women. It is mainly used to treat menopausal women but also treats extremely low testosterone levels in men.