Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been around for a long time, especially its use to treat menopause symptoms. And like a lot of other medical treatments, HRT has also changed a lot over time, especially within the past decade or so.
Instead of static dosing that has pretty much remained the same for every woman over the course of her therapy, today’s HRT plays a far more integrated role as part of a healthy lifestyle that we adjust for your evolving needs.
At her Santa Monica, California, practice, Shamsah Amersi, MD, uses an individualized, holistic approach to HRT for women struggling with menopause or perimenopause symptoms, as well as for women who simply want to enjoy the best health possible as they age.
Here, she offers a snapshot of HRT to help you decide if it’s a therapy you’d like to explore.
If you’re near or in menopause, you’ve likely heard of HRT. But you might not know exactly what it entails or how the therapy has changed over the past decade or so.
Those changes haven’t just made HRT safer and more effective for women. They’ve also made it more personal.
Not long ago, doctors used HRT primarily to address specific symptoms — like hot flashes, night sweats, brain fog, mood changes, or weight gain — without really taking a woman’s whole health into account.
While HRT was certainly a game-changer for many women, therapy could still fall short in many ways.
Today, we approach HRT differently. Instead of thinking of the benefits of HRT in terms of how it affects one or two specific symptoms, we seek to improve your overall wellness, including your physical health and emotional well-being.
Rather than prescribing therapy based on a handful of general factors, we use lab tests and other methods to fine-tune your therapy so we can maximize benefits based on your health profile.
In part, this change has occurred as medical researchers and providers have come to recognize that hormones aren't just about reproduction.
These chemical messengers play a far wider role in overall health and wellness, affecting mood, metabolism, sleep health, bone density, energy, cognitive functions, and heart health.
The interconnection between your hormones and your health is why a patient-specific, holistic strategy is essential for finding a therapy that’s right for your needs. For most women, hormone health goes beyond medications to involve other personal and lifestyle factors.
Hormones can influence your metabolic activity, which means they can also influence your weight and your energy levels.
For many women, HRT goes hand in hand with a personalized nutrition strategy designed to support metabolic health and help women manage their weight and energy levels more effectively — especially during midlife when nutritional and metabolic factors can shift dramatically.
Because hormones affect your life so broadly, most HRT plans include guidance and strategies for optimizing your wellness in other ways. Dr. Amersi and our team look at critical lifestyle habits, including your physical activity, your sleep, and your emotional health, offering the individualized support you need for healthy aging.
Nutritional supplements, vitamins, and other targeted therapies combine with HRT benefits for a more inclusive, holistic strategy based on your wellness needs and your individual goals.
Instead of reaching for mass-marketed products targeting women over a certain age, our HRT plans focus on what your body actually needs.
One of the major changes in HRT has to do with the products themselves.
While traditional HRT relies on synthetic hormones that mimic natural hormones, bioidentical HRT (BHRT) uses hormones that are chemically identical to the ones your body produces, offering potentially better results while minimizing possible side effects.
Getting older isn’t always easy, but if you’re struggling with the effects of a hormone imbalance, HRT could be the solution to help you feel more like yourself again.
To learn more about HRT and how our holistic approach can play a role in your healthy aging journey, request an appointment online or over the phone with Dr. Amersi at our Santa Monica, California, office today.
