When Hormones Shape Everyday Life: Understanding BHRT and Reclaiming Your Energy and Balance

Lacey McCrary is a nurse practitioner and co-owner of BellaDerma Aesthetics and Wellness.

Hormones play such a key role in our bodies and how we feel day-to-day. They influence many aspects of how we function each day. Yet, their role, especially in women’s health, is often minimized. Hormones are often at the core of many common concerns for women-fatigue, brain fog, restless sleep, mood changes, and unwanted weight fluctuations. Women are told this is “a normal part of aging”. But normal aging does not mean untreatable.

Hormones naturally fluctuate, but after a certain age, which is different for each person, they drastically decrease. This will cause a shift in mood, metabolism, how stress affects us, and our sleep. Poor sleep alone will affect our metabolic health and emotional well-being. This is a cascade effect, and all of these symptoms can relate to each other. When our estrogen declines, we experience most, if not all, of these symptoms.

Hormones hold the key to your energy, mood, and sleep

For many years, hormones, but estrogen in particular, were surrounded by fear. There are outdated and flawed studies that led to a black box warning on estrogen. Women have been afraid to use estrogen as a therapy for their symptoms and have suffered. Research evolved, and this recently led to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initiating the removal of the black box warning on estrogen.

Estrogen not only relieves many of these symptoms, but it has been shown to play a protective role in cardiovascular health, support bone density, support vaginal health, and improve skin. Now that the evidence has been more supportive, hopefully, more women will seek out treatment.

Bioidentical therapy and how to feel like yourself again

Bioidentical hormone therapy (BHRT) mirrors hormones that naturally occur in the body, instead of mimicking a synthetic alternative. When appropriately prescribed by a provider knowledgeable in BHRT, it can relieve many of these unwanted symptoms. Close monitoring of levels and symptoms is very important with any formulation of BHRT. Certain types of formulations provide a more steady state, allowing the body to heal.

BHRT is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It requires working with a provider who will understand a full health history, symptom monitoring, and ongoing lab monitoring. Not everyone is a candidate for BHRT, but for those who are, it can be life-changing.

Women in perimenopause and menopause deserve to know that suffering is not the standard in this stage of life. There are individualized treatments that can bring back clarity, vitality, and energy. It is possible to not only live longer, but live better.

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