Who is a good candidate for BHRT?
Women who experience severe menopausal symptoms, such as mood swings, difficulty sleeping, headaches or painful intercourse are ideal candidates for BHRT. Also, women who experience menopause early as a result of chemotherapy or an oophorectomy can benefit from BHRT.
If you have tried other recommended therapies and made the suggested lifestyle changes and still have not experienced relief from menopausal symptoms, then ask your doctor if BHRT is right for you.
What are the side effects of BHRT?
Hormone therapy can have side effects if not dosed properly. Your endocrine system is sensitive to changes and may take time to achieve the optimal therapeutic dose. Some commonly experienced side effects include:
- Weight gain
- Cramps
- Tenderness in the Breasts
- Changes to skin oiliness and texture
- Bloating
- Fatigue
- Headaches
What testing is used to prescribe BHRT?
At Meeting Point Health, we will use Precision Analytics DUTCH Hormone Test or Vibrant Wellness. Depending on where you are in treatment, and what hormones we are testing, the collected specimen may be saliva, urine, or blood.
These panels are an in-depth comprehensive review of sex and adrenal hormones including:
- 24 hour cortisol
- DHEA
- Estrogen metabolites and ratios
- Progesterone metabolites and ratio to estrogen
- Testosterone metabolites
We’ll often combine a hormone panel with other tests such as:
- Complete Thyroid Panel
TSH – an indicator of how hard your thyroid is working to increase immunity and metabolism - Thyroxine Binding Globulin – a high estrogen indicator
Total T3 and T4 (protein bound) – inactive circulating hormone - Free t3 and t4 (unbound) – activate circulating hormone
- Reverse T3 – slows down your metabolism to save resources
- Anti TPO antibodies – indicator of autoimmune thyroiditis
- Anti-thyroglobulin antibodies
- Iodine – used in the thyroid to make hormone
- Selenium – a necessary cofactor used by an enzyme in the liver to activate T3
Total Toxin Burden
- Mycotoxins – can degenerate phospholipids which make up the cell membranes of hormones
- Heavy Metals – interfere with hormone production, oxygenation and liver function
- Plastics – the biggest endocrine disruptors as these are xenoestrogens (fake estrogen)
- Herbicides and Pesticides – destroy gut health and affect insulin sensitivity and immunity
- Chemical Solvents and Emissions
- Neurotransmitters – these affect mood, energy, digestion and more
- Melatonin – a sleep hormone that also acts as an antioxidant that is immune protective
We also may add testing for serum luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) – these are hormones from your brain that work together with your ovaries or testes to stimulate production of your sex hormones.
How does BHRT Work?
The goal of hormone replacement therapy, whether it’s with sex hormone, thyroid hormone, melatonin or others is to replace the hormone that your body isn’t producing enough of.
As with all HRT, well-being is relatively easy to maintain as long as it’s working for you – but if not, then the dosage may need to be adjusted. We will likely repeat a blood test to readjust your medication and fine-tune how much hormone you need to feel good again.
What to expect at my appointment for BHRT?
Before starting BHRT, you will have a consultation and evaluation with a Meeting Point Health professional. Your evaluation will include a physical exam and lab tests. Thereafter, we will determine if you are a candidate for BHRT and, if so, what is the best dosage and BHRT modality for addressing your symptoms.
