Find out the best treatment option for correcting a hormonal imbalance in women.
Osteopathy is a holistic approach to improve the way the musculoskeletal system and body functions as a whole. An osteopath is a professional who focuses
on everything from joint pain and osteoporosis to reproductive problems (e.g. hormonal imbalance) and digestive disorders. It’s common for a hormonal imbalance to occur in women during menopause and perimenopause.
Symptoms of a hormonal imbalance include:
- Unexpected weight gain
- Hot flashes
- Insomnia
- Decreased libido
- Fatigue
- Night sweats
- Mood swings
- Weakened immune system
- “Mental fog” and memory loss
- Muscle weakness or loss of muscle
As women reach menopause the body is no longer producing estrogen and progesterone because these are hormones that are vital only for childbearing years. Of course, it’s important to improve hormone levels within the body to reduce symptoms and to prevent complications such as osteoporosis, a progressive condition that leads to a weakening of the bones and fractures.
The most obvious way to improve hormone levels is through hormone replacement therapy. There are many options out there for optimizing hormone levels and your osteopath will discuss the best approach for you based on the symptoms you are experiencing and your current health.
In the past the only option was traditional hormone replacement therapy that used synthetic hormones, which was known to cause some unpleasant side effects. Of course, now there are safer options such as bioidentical hormone therapy (BHRT). These hormones are derived from plant estrogens and mimic the natural hormones found within the body. Estrogen, progesterone and testosterone are the most common hormones used in these replacement therapies.
There are many hormonal replacement therapy forms such as pills, patches, topical ointments, injections and even implants. Again, your osteopath will help you determine the right method for hormone replacement. For example, if you think you may forget to take a pill once a day you may want to opt for another option such as a patch or implant.
If you are a woman experiencing the symptoms of menopause it’s important that you talk to an osteopathic specialist to determine the best way to balance your hormones to reduce your risk for certain long-term and progressive health problems such as osteoporosis.