Hormone Replacement Therapy from U.S. Dermatology Partners

What Symptoms Can Be Treated with Hormone Replacement Therapy?

HRT is used to treat symptoms of hormonal imbalance, including:

• Thinning and brittle hair
• Hair loss
• Insulin resistance
• Night sweats
• Thyroid or adrenal gland disorders
• Difficulty maintaining a healthy weight despite diet and exercise
• Loss of muscle tone or difficulty maintaining muscle mass
• Poor quality or quantity of sleep or inconsistent sleep patterns
• Anxiety, depression, irritability, and mood swings
• Difficulty Concentrating
• Memory issues
• Struggling to remember details
• Fatigue, exhaustion, and lack of energy
• Low or no sex drive
• Pain in the joints
• Bone loss
• Headaches or body aches
• Fibromyalgia (unexplained pain)
• Osteoporosis
• Acne
• Irregular menstrual cycle
• Infertility
• Facial hair overgrowth

Who is a Good Candidate for Hormone Replacement Therapy?

Most patients may qualify for hormone replacement therapy. During your evaluation, our medical providers will review your symptoms and entire hormone blood panel to determine your individual needs. Certain patients may not qualify, including those who have active breast, cervical, uterine, or prostate cancer. Post-cancer patients may require a medical release from their oncologist, internist, or family doctor. We will carefully consider patients who have active heart disease, history of stroke, blood clots to determine individual benefit vs risk.

Hormone Therapy in Men vs. Women

HRT is most often thought of in relation to postmenopausal women, but it can actually be used to treat both men and women.

Hormone Therapy for Men

Hormone replacement therapy for men is typically recommended when low testosterone leads to diminished libido or fatigue. Men may also experience depression, lack of motivation, joint pain, and hair loss as a result of low testosterone.

Hormone Therapy for Women

Hormone replacement therapy for women may be recommended for a variety of reasons. HRT is often used to manage symptoms of perimenopause, menopause, and polycystic ovarian syndrome. Additionally, women may receive HRT for mood swings, fatigue, difficulty losing weight in their midsection, mood changes, sleep difficulties, and diminished libido.

Hormone Replacement Therapy Services We Offer

At U.S. Dermatology Partners, we provide a range of HRT services, including:

Bioidentical Hormones Therapy

Bioidentical hormones are exact replicas (identical) to the hormones your own body produces. These hormones are created in a lab, like synthetic hormones, but bioidentical hormones are specifically created for your body to exactly match the natural hormones at a molecular level.

Benefits of bioidentical hormones compared with synthetic options include:

• Naturally derived from plants
• Less likely to be rejected by the body
• Significantly fewer adverse effects and health risks

Weight Loss Program

Maintaining a healthy weight can be difficult if hormone production is off. We offer hormone therapy that helps the body produce or replace hormones that aid in thyroid and metabolic function. By triggering the production of weight loss hormones, patients who are eating healthy and exercising regularly are better able to lose weight and maintain their healthy weight.

Benefits of hormone replacement therapy for weight loss include:

• Easier to lose weight
• Less likely to gain weight back
• Better overall health with reduced risk for diabetes and other weight-related health concerns

Our medical providers will evaluate individual needs and your weight loss management may include the aid of an appetite suppressant if the patient qualifies medically.

Testosterone Therapy

Low testosterone levels have numerous negative effects, including diminished sex drive, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, loss of muscle mass, hair loss, as well as cognitive and emotional changes. Testosterone replacement therapy can help improve overall health and vitality, renew sex drive, and otherwise reverse the negative effects of low testosterone. For men who have been tested to ensure low testosterone is the cause, testosterone replacement therapy offers numerous benefits, including:

• Increased energy
• Improved sex drive and sexual function
• Improved mood
• Easier to maintain or increase muscle mass
• Better bone health

Our medical providers will determine individual needs based on symptoms and lab review. We can treat low testosterone with injections, pellets, or cream.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Treatment

Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a disordered hormone condition that occurs during a woman’s reproductive years. In the past, medical professionals used birth control to address ovarian cysts without fully understanding or treating the hormonal imbalance in other bodily systems that could cause numerous health concerns like weight gain, menstrual cycle irregularity, infertility, acne, mental health struggles, and more.

Benefits of hormone replacement therapy for individuals diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome include:

• Addresses whole body hormonal dysfunction rather than just ovarian function
• Helps minimize other side effects not improved with other treatments
• Increases overall health and wellbeing
• Help protect PCOS patients from developing diabetes, hyperlipidemia, heart disease, and certain types of cancer later in life.

Hormone Replacement Therapy Benefits

Each patient will respond differently to HRT, but some of the many short and long term benefits reported by our patients include:

• Better quality and increased quantity of restful sleep
• Improved mood and increased mood stability
• Fewer experiences of depression, anxiety, and disordered mood
• Increased cognitive function, better memory, and improved concentration
• More energy
• Less pain in muscles or joints
• Halting of hair loss and restoration of lost hair in some cases
• Maintenance of a healthy weight
• Easier weight loss (especially stubborn fat stores)
• Increased or retained muscle mass and tone
• Increased skin elasticity
• Improved sex drive
• Menopausal hormone therapy to address effects of menopause
• Improved side effects of polycystic ovarian syndrome
• Decreased risk for health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, chronic UTIs
• Improved quality of life for individuals with severe side effects of hormone imbalance

Hormone Replacement Therapy Risks

In years past, hormone replacement using synthetic hormones was linked to a range of health concerns. Early research indicates that bioidentical hormone replacement and other modern hormone replacement therapy options are significantly safer. Still, individuals who choose to move forward with HRT may experience some common, mild side effects, including:

• Breast swelling and tenderness
• Bloating
• Vaginal bleeding, spotting, or changes in menstrual cycle
• Nausea and indigestion
• Headaches
• Backache
• Muscle cramps
• Changes in mood or behavior

In addition to these common side effects, HRT may put patients at a higher risk of developing more serious health issues, such as:

• Blood clots
• Stroke
• Heart disease
• Liver disease
• Breast, uterine, and endometrial cancer

The odds of developing these health risks or experiencing side effects will vary depending on the age and gender of the patient, type of hormone therapy, and personal and familial health history. It’s essential to discuss your treatment options with your medical provider to ensure HRT is a safe and effective solution for your needs.