Menopause is a natural transition that all women experience as they age. The key sign of menopause is that a woman stops having her monthly period for 12 consecutive months. This signals that the ovaries have stopped releasing eggs and producing hormones like estrogen and progesterone.
The average age for menopause is 51. However, menopause can happen earlier or later for some women. The years leading up to menopause are called perimenopause. This is when hormone levels become erratic and women may start noticing symptoms. After menopause occurs, a woman is considered postmenopausal.
Symptoms and Changes
The declining estrogen levels associated with perimenopause and menopause cause a variety of symptoms and changes in the body. Common symptoms include:
Long term changes that happen postmenopause include increased risk for health conditions like osteoporosis and heart disease. Lower estrogen also leads to changes in cholesterol levels, body fat storage, and Collagen production in the skin.
Seeking Treatment
With all the changes and discomfort that accompany menopause, many women seek help from their doctor. Getting a proper diagnosis and exploring treatment options can provide relief from symptoms and help women stay optimally healthy as they enter the postmenopausal period of life.
At Vitality Renewal Clinic in Fort Pierce, we specialize in helping women address menopause through customized hormone replacement therapy plans. Our clinic is led by top menopause specialists who use evidence-based protocols tailored specifically to your needs.
Trying to tough it out through menopause often backfires. Ignoring symptoms and changes can negatively impact physical and mental health over time. However, women who utilize menopause treatment reap many benefits:
The most obvious advantage of menopause treatment is relief of symptoms that disrupt everyday life:
Eliminating menopause symptoms restores a better quality of life so women can enjoy activities again.
Estrogen deficiency after menopause is directly linked to midlife health risks. Research clearly shows that hormone therapy initiated around menopause substantially lowers risks for major health issues like:
By adding back deficient hormones using treatment plans tailored to your needs, risks of developing these diseases later in life can be minimized.
In addition to health benefits, balancing postmenopausal hormone levels also helps slow aging processes. Areas impacted include:
Collagen production - Estrogen helps stimulate collagen. Loss of skin elasticity and tone speeds up without this estrogen effect.
Body composition - The drop in estrogen is associated with increased belly fat storage and loss of muscle mass. Hormone therapy helps counteract this.
Libido - For some women, menopause severely dampens sex drive. Adding back hormones like testosterone responsible for desire and arousal can rekindle libido.
Hormones are very intricate modulators of just about everything in women’s bodies. No two women have the exact same menopause experience or the exact same needs for treatment.
At Vitality Renewal Clinic, your dedicated menopause specialist takes the time to uncover your unique situation and symptoms. This is why we offer customized solutions through bioidentical hormone therapy.
Bioidentical hormones are man-made forms of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone that are molecularly identical to the hormones women naturally produce. This allows precise dosing and balancing tailored to your needs:
These bioidenticals come in various forms like pills, patches, gels and pellets. Our experts help determine which option is best for your lifestyle.
Menopause treatment requires specialized expertise. At Vitality Renewal Clinic, we have dedicated menopause experts guiding your care:
We also collaborate with endocrinologists, psychiatrists, cardiologists and other specialists to ensure your treatment is supported from every angle.
Let our exceptional team help guide you through menopause confidently. We handle all diagnostic testing here in ourFort Pierce office so together we can get to the root of your symptoms, risks and treatment needs.
Studies show that practicing yoga can help reduce several unpleasant menopausal symptoms. Yoga postures, breathing exercises and meditation can ease hot flashes, mood swings, sleep problems, and joint pain. This complementary therapy boosts physical and mental wellbeing without medication side effects.
Determining exactly which hormones are out of balance requires precise blood tests. We provide all necessary menopause lab testing right here in our clinic:
Hormone Level Blood Tests: - Estrogen - checks current estrogen status - FSH - evaluates ovarian function - DHEAS - adrenal gland hormone - T3, T4 - thyroid hormones - Testosterone - screens for low testosterone
Health Risk Assessment Tests: - Cholesterol - Lipid panel, cardiac risk marker - Vitamin D, calcium - monitors bone health - Blood cell counts - screens anemia risks
Testing is quick and comfortable, using a simple blood draw. We always provide consultations to review results and map out appropriate treatment.
Our proven process for safely getting started on hormone replacement therapy:
During each visit, we carefully evaluate treatment effectiveness and make dosage adjustments accordingly. Your comfort is our top priority.
Vitality Renewal Clinic also offers mental health support:
We address menopause from all angles – physical, mental and emotional. Everything is handled seamlessly under one roof.
Located along Florida’s Treasure Coast, the area around Fort Pierce has a wonderfully temperate subtropical climate year round. This ideal weather coupled with beautiful beaches, parks and attractions makes it a serene setting to undergo menopause treatment.
The sunny skies and warmer climate can intensify menopause symptoms, so finding an exceptional clinic like Vitality Renewal Clinic is key. We help women gracefully transition through perimenopause and beyond.
Places we frequently recommend to patients during therapy include:
We have an extensive list of our favorite spots. Reach out anytime for recommendations tailored to your needs and treatment plan.
"I felt like a whole different person once my custom hormones balanced everything out." – Sarah, Vitality Renewal Clinic Patient
As highlighted throughout this overview, promptly seeking treatment for menopause symptoms and risks provides immense benefits for physical and mental health. However ignoring early signs and waiting too long often results in frustrating outcomes:
In addition, mental anguish worsens when women feel hopeless about menopause problems impacting their lives without solutions. Anxiety and depression may set in.
We often see women who regret toughing it out for too long when problems compound. They express wishing they had sought help through hormone therapy much sooner.
By working with your menopause specialist early in the process, risks are minimized, symptoms can be eliminated, and your best health and wellness is restored for years to come. Don’t hesitate to seek treatment!
We sincerely hope this overview has shown how customized hormone therapy provided by our exceptional menopause experts helps guide women through this transition gracefully. Everything needed for testing, diagnosis and ongoing care is handled right here in our welcoming Fort Pierce office.
We are committed to helping you enjoy life again just like our many happy patients.