Have you noticed yourself becoming more irritable with age? Have you noticed seemingly unexplainable weight gain, fatigue or muscle loss? If so, you may be a good candidate for bioidentical hormone replacement therapy at Medwin Family Medicine & Rehabilitation in Brownsville, TX and Houston, TX. Let’s take a look at a few of the most common signs that you need hormone therapy.
The Most Common Signs You Need Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy
Regular Irritability
One of the most common signs that you need bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is that you are irritable regularly. Maybe you get angrier in traffic than you used to. Maybe you start a verbal altercation with your partner for never taking out the trash. Regardless of what external factors trigger your irritability, the reason you’re so susceptible to triggers may be imbalanced hormones.
Loss of Interest in Previous Hobbies
Another sign that you may benefit from bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is that you no longer find enjoyment in things you used to love. This is one of the most common signs of depression, and depression may be caused by imbalanced hormones.
If you have trouble getting out of bed, brushing your hair or doing any other task that you used to do with ease, you may have at least one hormonal imbalance.
Unexplainable Weight Gain
Yet another common sign that you need bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, or BHRT, is unexplainable weight gain. Several factors affecting weight maintenance may occur if your hormones become imbalanced. For example, you may lose muscle mass, which we will discuss in a minute. Another change that may occur is you may metabolize fat less efficiently.
A decrease in fat metabolism efficiency often goes hand-in-hand with a decrease in your overall metabolism. In other words, your body stops needing as many calories for fuel and it cannot process stored fat as quickly as it could when your hormone levels were balanced. These two factors combined can lead to significant weight gain.
Muscle Loss
One of the most significant factors in weight maintenance is maintaining muscle mass. Muscle is approximately three times more metabolically active than fat. Assuming your body was completely at rest, each pound of muscle would burn between seven and 10 calories while each pound of fat would burn between two and three calories in a 24-hour period.
Even if you maintained your regular diet and exercise, if your body’s ability to metabolize protein decreased, your damaged muscle cells could not be replaced with healthier cells. Eventually, you would experience muscle loss and weight gain as you had fewer pounds of muscle burning calories three times more efficiently than your body fat.
Muscle Weakness
Even if you haven’t noticed muscle loss yet, you may notice that you’re not as strong as you once were. Maybe you don’t have arthritic hands, but you still can’t open the mayonnaise jar. Maybe walking to the store is harder than it used to be or biking your usual number of miles is taking longer and longer. While muscle weakness may be a sign of fatigue or dehydration, it very well may be a sign of imbalanced hormones and a need for BHRT.
Mood Swings
You may not be clinically depressed or have regular bouts of anger, but you may still have mood swings if your hormones become imbalanced. For example, you may be laughing over the phone with your friend and then feel inexplicably sad or anxious five minutes later.
To find out if your mood swings are caused by a hormonal imbalance, it’s crucial that you have your serum hormone levels tested. You may need BHRT rather than medications or a therapist.
Insomnia
If you suffer from insomnia, there is a very good chance that you need hormone replacement therapy. Whether it’s caused by hormonal imbalances or a symptom of hormonal imbalances, it needs to be treated right away. There are numerous side effects of insomnia, including irritability, depression, weight gain, fatigue and severe cognitive decline.
Hot Flashes
Hot flashes are another common sign that you could benefit from BHRT. This is particularly true if your hot flashes often occur at night and prevent you from falling or staying asleep. Remember, getting adequate sleep every night is crucial for just about every aspect of your health.
It’s important to note that hot flashes aren’t just a symptom of menopause. Men often experience a condition known as andropause, or “male menopause.” This condition occurs when there is a significant deficiency in serum testosterone levels. If you’re a man experiencing symptoms of menopause, it’s crucial that you seek BHRT right away.
Book an Appointment Today
If you suffer from at least two of the aforementioned common signs that you need bioidentical hormone replacement therapy weight loss, we can help. If you’re ready to restore your quality of life, contact us at Medwin Family Medicine & Rehabilitation in Houston and Brownsville, TX to schedule an appointment.
We are open from 8 AM to 6 PM from Monday through Friday and 9 to noon every Saturday so we can accommodate the most hectic of schedules. If you feel like your quality of life has been diminishing, but you haven’t experienced the aforementioned signs of hormonal imbalances, schedule an appointment anyway. The list is not comprehensive, and we can test your serum hormone levels to determine if you could still benefits of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.
