menopause misconceptions

In reality, perimenopause (also known as menopause transition) starts around the age of 35 when the natural decline in reproductive hormones begins.

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Hot flashes and night sweats certainly may point to menopause, but there are other common symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause, such as:

♦ Mood Swings or High Irritability one four

♦ Sadness or Depression

♦ Headaches/Migraines

♦ Breast Changes

♦ Memor y Loss or "Foggy Thinking"

♦ Exhaustion

♦ Constant Fatigue

♦ Insomnia

♦ Painful Sexual Intercourse

♦ Irregular Menstrual Cycles

♦ Decreased Libido

♦ Indigestion

♦ Vaginal Dryness

♦ Sudden Cravings and Weight Gain

While treating each of these symptoms individually may be worthwhile, it's possible there is an underlying issue that is affecting all of these areas, such as hormonal imbalance. Instead of caring for each individual symptom, it's wise to determine if there is an underlying problem that is causing multiple symptoms in the body.

“All Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is the same.”

In actuality, within HRT there are not only different hormones a person can replace, but also a number of routes of administration with very important differences in how each individual person will respond. Those include: topical creams, vaginal creams, pellets, sustained (or immediate) release capsules, troche lozenges and sublingual drops. Patients should be educated on what is best for their own goals and lifestyle.

Hormones fluctuate due to stress, diet, exercise, sleep, heat, environmental factors and more. So, while supplementing with hormone replacement may be beneficial, it's reasonable to also strive for goals of weight loss, increasing your energy levels, enjoying higher libido, and having more rejuvenating sleep by improving your diet, exercise, sleeping habits and adding nutritional supplements.

InHealth Specialty Pharmacy offers individual consultations to discuss all of these areas with patients. During and after an initial 45-minute consultation with a patient, InHealth works closely with patients and their healthcare provider to develop a customized approach to improving their symptoms and overall health. That may include a recommendation for hormone replacement, but it’s not just that. InHealth also helps develop a plan to improve sleep and fitness levels, and help make nutritious and delicious food choices as well.

For those interested in learning more or would like to get started with a hormone and wellness consult at InHealth Specialty Pharmacy, simply text “hormone” to 31996 or visit inhealthcompounding.com/balance.

InHealth Specialty Pharmacist Heather Novak RPh, PharmD is a 2004 graduate of NDSU College of Pharmacy. With specialized training through Professional Compounding Centers of America, Heather has over 15 years of experience in compounding and hormone therapy. She has a passion for helping patients with their hormone and nutritional health.