When Period Pain Is Cause for Concern
Many women experience menstrual cramps from time to time, but extreme pain is another story. Here’s when period pain indicates something deeper.
For most women, having a period every month is simply a fact of life. That’s why, after 40-something years of monthly cycles, losing that cycle is strange and often emotional. Add to that the slew of physical symptoms that occurs as women lose their periods, and you’ll begin to understand the toll menopause takes on a woman’s body.
Menopause — the time that marks the end of your menstrual cycles — is diagnosed after you’ve gone a full year (12 months) without a period. Menopause can occur at any time in your 40s or 50s, but the average age of menopause onset in the United States is 51.
Perimenopause, or your body’s transition period to menopause, usually starts in the 40s and brings ushers in the long list of symptoms that all menopausal women are familiar with: hot flashes, decreased sex drive, irregular periods, vaginal dryness, vaginal soreness, night sweats, spontaneous chills, mood swings, irritability, sleeping problems, weight gain, changes in skin and hair, and more.
It’s safe to say that the menopausal transition isn’t fun for anyone, but fortunately, you can find relief from many of your symptoms with hormone optimization. Dr. Christopher Serrano at Serrano OBGYN offers hormone replacement therapy for women approaching menopause and those who have already reached menopause.
Our bodies change significantly over time, with alterations in hormone levels being one of the most prominent changes. Hormone replacement therapy practices vary, but Dr. Serrano uses the BioTEⓇ system, a leader in pellet therapy. Pellet therapy involves placing two to four hormone-filled pellets beneath your skin, which slowly and steadily release precise amounts of hormones over time.
In menopausal women, hormone optimization aims to balance the levels of estrogen and progesterone, two sex and reproductive hormones that get out of whack as menopause approaches. The disparate levels of these two hormones are the main driver of the dreaded menopause symptoms.
The BioTE pellet hormones are bioidentical, which means the chemical structure exactly mimics the chemical structure of your natural hormones. Because the pellets release small amounts of the replacement hormones over time, you won’t experience any extreme ups and downs like some other hormone replacement therapy programs cause. Additionally, as the release of the hormone from the pellets, the pellets slowly dissolve and get removed by your lymphatic system, so there’s no need for a replacement procedure.
If you are approaching menopause and you’re experiencing menopausal symptoms, hormone replacement therapy is almost certainly a great option for you. Of course, Dr. Serrano needs to complete a physical evaluation before prescribing hormone optimization, but most women in their 40s and 50s can greatly benefit from the treatment.
Interested in learning more about hormone replacement therapy? Call Serrano OBGYN at 210-761-5309 or book a consultation appointment online.
