Monthly Archives: August 2016

Hot flashes are the most common symptom that accompanies perimenopause in women. It’s been estimated that more than 75% of perimenopausal women experience hot flashes.

What Are Hot Flashes?
Hot flashes are abrupt feelings of warmth. Your skin may suddenly flush or get red and splotchy as if you’re blushing. They are generally most intense over the upper body and face. Hot flashes can make you sweat profusely and then leave you feeling chilled. The frequency and intensity of episodes will vary from individual to individual. You may have a few or many hot flashes in a day. They usually subside within a few minutes. Not every woman will experience hot flashes, but most suffer with them for more than a year and up to four or five years.

While women are well aware of the fact that they will someday enter into menopause, many men are unaware of the term andropause. This term refers to a time when their reproductive hormones drop tremendously. It usually occurs between the ages 40 and 60 and is commonly listed under a variety of medical terms. When female menopause occurs, the ovaries cease to function or only intermittently. This means that ovulation and menstruation both end and that the female will eventually begin losing estrogen and testosterone hormones as well. She will be unable to have children at the completion of menopause.

When a man enters andropause, he will begin to see either a gradual or significant drop in his testosterone levels. However, while a woman will no longer be able to have children, this is untrue for a man after andropause. His sperm production will continue and he will be able to father children well into his golden years.Menopause is a natural reaction to a womans body aging. However, there are some variables that can cause early onset in life.

For example, for women who have their ovaries or uterus removed, this will speed up the process of menopause. One of the most common similarities that men and women will experience between menopause and andropause is that they are quickly returned to how they were before they entered into puberty.

The symptoms that they experience through this process are often similar as well. Some of the most common symptoms that have been reported with both men and women are moodiness, depression, brain fog, hot flashes, night sweats, hair loss, low sex drive, weight gain, vaginal dryness in women and erectile dysfunction in men, among many other complaints. Both men and women experience a sense of lack of sexuality and ultimately loss of control of their own bodies.

Mid-life crisis as well as other noted psychological and emotional variations will also be noticed among both sexes as well. Just as in puberty when your hormones were on a rollercoaster, you may feel like you have returned to that crazy ride during menopause and andropause.Both medical phases of life have certain treatments that are available, effective, and that are medically recognized to improve quality of life. One of the most common treatment paths for both conditions is bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). For both men and women this method will help to bring the hormone levels back to the proper levels. Managing the source of the problem delivers great relief in experienced symptons. It is important that a patient is carefully monitored by a doctor while they are undergoing BHRT treatment. The doctor should be experienced, trained, and empathize with what the patient is going through. Make sure your doctor is not just treating symptons, but the hormonal imbalance that both sexes have in middle age.

Educate yourself, men and women can learn a lot if they research the different things that can be expected when experiencing these conditions. If you opt for BHRT make sure you receive quality care and pellets from a verified SottoPelle physician. Not all BHRT pellet treatment is created equally. But, when it comes to aging both men and women have equal issues and can be improved with the appropriate treatment and healthy lifestyle.

Here’s a video featuring Dr. Gino Tutera, creator and founder of the SottoPelle bio-identical hormone replacement therapy method. He explains why our therapy is unique and provides substantial benefits over other hormone therapy methods, it’s only 4 minutes 23 seconds in length so enjoy.

Conventional HRT

Physicians have been advising women to steer clear of long term conventional HRT use since 2002. This was the year when the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) studies were abruptly halted due to the revelation of serious health risks associated with using oral equine estrogen and progestin, a synthetic form of progesterone. The studies focused on use of the pharmaceutical formulations Premarin and Prempro, both of which differ in chemical structure from the natural hormones produced in a woman’s body. Media reports, FDA and physician warnings caused millions of women to be afraid of taking any kind of HRT. It’s been estimated that up to 70% of women who were receiving hormone replacement at that time stopped taking it.¹ It’s apparent that the fear of serious health risks far outweighed the symptoms, suffering and health consequences of living with hormone imbalances.

Scary Data on Synthetic Hormones

The data from the WHI was in fact pretty scary. It linked these synthetic hormone substitutes with a higher risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke and blood clots. Not long after the 2002 scare other studies also found pharmaceutical HRT increased the risk of Alzheimer’s, asthma and dementia. Likewise, new research in 2010 reported that combined estrogen-progestin therapy heightened the risk for more serious forms of breast cancer as well as a woman’s chances of dying from it or from other causes.² The conclusion reached in each of these research studies was that the use of non-bioidentical hormones does more harm than good.

Positive Data on Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy

What the public doesn’t realize is that very often studies, articles, websites and debates do not distinguish whether the hormones they are referring to are synthetic or bioidentical. So it would seem that all hormones are dangerous, when, in fact, they are not. Many doctors now agree that the cultural aversion to hormone replacement therapy has resulted in unnecessary suffering and possibly even led to 50,000 preventable deaths.³ Here are some of the reasons why women shouldn’t be afraid to use bioidentical hormone replacement:

Why Women Shouldn’t be Afraid

1. Bioidentical hormones precisely match hormones produced in the human body. This means bioidenticals can communicate with appropriate cell receptors and perform the tasks the body requires for health and well-being.
2. Bioidenticals have not been associated with the same health risks as formulations using pharmaceutical synthetics.⁴
3. Bioidentical hormones have been safely prescribed in North America, Europe and elsewhere since the 1930s.
4. Bioidentical research data began to appear beginning in the 1940s and revealed positive findings (based on the use of bioidentical hormone therapy in pellet form).^5,6
5. A great deal of research literature supports the use of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy versus synthetic pharmaceuticals.⁷
6. Bioidentical pellet therapy was actually regularly employed in the U.S. from the 1940s to 1970s when pharmaceutical marketing intruded.
7. Evidence continues to mount that bioidenticals, when properly administered, can be virtually side-effect free, safer to use, and healthier in the long run than pharmaceutical versions.⁸

As a patient, the key to taking advantage of the many health benefits of BHRT is to seek out an expert who understands the importance of hormonal balance and knows how to achieve optimum results using the low dose pellet implant method—proven to be the safest, most effective hormone delivery system available.

¹Roumie CL, Grogan EL, Falbe W, Awad J, Speroff T, Dittus RS, Elasy TA. Reducing the Prescription of Hormone Replacement Therapy after the Release of Study Results. Ann Intern Med. 2004;141:I-47. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-141-2-200407200-00005
² Chlebowski RT, et al. for the WHI Investigators. Estrogen Plus Progestin and Breast Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Postmenopausal Women. JAMA. 2010;304(15):1684-1692. doi:10.1001/jama.2010.1500.
³ American Journal of Public Health. July 18, 2013 http://news.yale.edu/2013/07/18/women-hysterectomies-estrogen-may-be-lifesaver-after-all
⁴ Schwartz E, Holtorf K. Hormones in wellness and disease prevention: common practices, current state of the evidence, and questions for the future. Prim Care Clin Office Pract 2008; 35 (4): 669–705. http://www.holtorfmed.com/pdf/04-Hormones-in-Wellness.pdf
⁵ Salmon U., et al: Use of estradiol subcutaneous pellets in humans. Science 1939; 90:162.
⁶ Mishel D. Clinical study of estrogenic therapy with pellet implantation. Am J Obstet-Gynecol 1941; 41:1009.
⁷ http://www.bioidenticalhormones.org/bioidentical-hormones-research-studies/
⁸ Schwartz E, Holtorf K. Hormones in wellness and disease prevention: common practices, current state of the evidence, and questions for the future. Prim Care Clin Office Pract 2008; 35 (4): 669–705. http://www.holtorfmed.com/pdf/04-Hormones-in-Wellness.pdf

One of the most common symptoms of hormone imbalance is fatigue. For many women experiencing the wild roller coaster ride of hormonal ups and downs during perimenopause, it can be utterly exhausting. Men often feel that same weary, lethargic, low energy fatigue when their testosterone levels dip below normal.

Both men and women can also experience what is called crashing fatigue as part of testosterone deficiency or perimenopause. This extreme tiredness and lethargy can hit suddenly and unexpectedly. It can occur at any time of day and is unrelated to recent physical exertion. Crashing fatigue has been described as abrupt overwhelming feelings of weakness, exhaustion and diminished energy level.

Unfortunately, the disruptive saga of fatigue continues. There are generally other symptoms that accompany hormone deficiency-related fatigue. Daytime sleepiness is often followed by nighttime sleeplessness. Night sweats and hot flushes are frequently blamed for the sleep interruptions. Sleep deprivation, in turn, can create mood changes, irritability, depression and difficulty in managing the daily routine. It can also raise the risk of high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity and other health issues.

It looks like a bleak picture, but it doesn’t have to be.

Bioidentical Hormone Pellet Therapy Can Relieve Debilitating Fatigue

There is good news for the thousands of men and women who suffer with hormone deficiency-related fatigue and other symptoms. Bioidentical hormone pellet therapy, when properly administered, can help restore hormonal balance and alleviate symptoms, including fatigue.

Estrogen and testosterone are essential hormones that perform hundreds of tasks throughout the body. They work synergistically with other hormones to provide you with the energy and well-being your body needs to perform at its best. The hormone loss and deficiency of andropause and menopause rob you of your vitality, motivation and even your health.

Why suffer when SottoPelle® BHRT can help you regain your life? Our pellet implant therapy provides just the right amounts of humanly identical hormones in a way that your body can work with and utilize. We are experts at tailoring hormone replacement to meet your individual needs. Call us today to schedule a consultation and join thousands of others who can enjoy life again because of SottoPelle®.