Bioidentical hormone therapy
Hormones are essential for our lives. However, many symptoms are rather unspecific, which is why the hormonal cause is often not recognized.
Typical and common complaints that can have a hormonal cause:
- Hair loss, oily hair
- Dry skin
- acne
- PMS
- Problems with menstruation
- Menopausal symptoms such as sweating, sleep disorders
- Loss of libido
- Erectile dysfunction
- Dry mucous membranes in the genital tract, bladder, vagina, eyes, nose, mouth
- Tiredness, fatigue
- susceptibility to infection
- burnout
- Depressive moods
- Unwanted weight gain, weight loss
- Difficulty losing weight
- Muscle weakness
- Headache/migraine
- Mood swings
- Digestive problems such as constipation/diarrhea
- Allergies
- swelling
- And much more
Bioidentical hormone therapy has existed since the 1950s. Hormones in drug form are similar to hormones, but not exactly identical in structure. That’s why these “hormones” also lead to side effects, such as those that can be found in the package inserts for birth control pills.
Bioidentical hormones, on the other hand, are constructed in exactly the same way as the body’s own hormones and are therefore free of side effects in controlled doses. Only too much or too little of hormones leads to symptoms. This is one of the reasons why it makes sense to give gentle, slowly replenishing hormones so that the changes in symptoms can be observed. With a very high dosage, even of bioidentical hormones, this can quickly result in an overdose. The following certainly does not apply here: “A lot helps a lot”, but rapid intervention could potentially lead to new symptoms caused by an overdose.
The hormonal system is also an interaction of many factors and hormones that have to coordinate with each other. If you fill up a system very quickly, the other systems do not have the time to grow just as quickly, which in turn can lead to problems.
That would be like installing a Porsche engine in a duck without adapting the braking system to the new engine performance. It can go well, but it can also go really wrong.
Bioidentical hormones are obtained by adding an enzyme from the yam.
Knowing the interaction and the exact symptoms due to an overdose or underdose of the hormone is the art of hormone therapy.
The hormones used here are administered in specially produced creams and are therefore absorbed into the circulatory system within seconds.
The hormones (except thyroid hormones) are diagnosed using a saliva test, as only free, available hormones are found in saliva. In the blood, 93 to 98 percent of hormones are bound to proteins and are not available. The analysis of saliva is therefore more meaningful in this area.
In addition to the creams, hormones can be very well supported naturopathically through food.
A follow-up check is recommended after 2 months to avoid an overdose and to demonstrate the success of the treatment.
If you have any questions about bioidentical hormone therapy, please feel free to contact me.
Hormone therapy process
First there is an anamnesis interview (via zoom or live) in which the symptoms are discussed and whether a test is even useful.
You can then order a test yourself, or we can order it for you, which you can then have delivered to your home.
The test is billed directly to the laboratory (around €150 depending on the scope).
You can do the actual saliva test yourself at home. The test takes place in the morning on an empty stomach and takes about 1.5 hours. If there is a cycle, the test takes place on one of cycle days 19-21.
If you are using hormonal contraception or have taken hormones in the form of medication, it is recommended to wait 8 weeks after discontinuing the saliva test before taking the saliva test.
After you have sent the test to the laboratory, the evaluation will take place after about 10 days and this can also be sent to me directly by email in advance from the laboratory.
It takes me about half an hour to evaluate the test and create the plan.
We will then arrange another appointment (zoom or live approx. hours). The appointment includes discussing the test results, which supportive measures, both naturopathic and bioidentical hormone creams, would be useful if necessary and which pharmacies offer such creams.
A further meeting should take place after 2 months at the latest
The costs for my treatment will be reimbursed by private insurance, supplementary insurance and the benefit.
You must clarify the costs for the test and the hormones individually with your insurance company.