Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy

What are Hormones?

Hormones are an important part of your body’s messenger system. These chemicals send signals to almost every part of your body. They control things like your mood, growth, and even body hair.

Bioidentical hormones are man-made. They’re designed so your body uses them in the same way it does your own hormones. Bioidentical hormones can be very helpful for people who suffer from a hormonal imbalance or who might not make enough hormones naturally.

What Are Bioidentical Hormones?

Hormones are chemicals that are made by your endocrine glands. The glands release hormones into your bloodstream to be carried to the appropriate body part. Hormones control quite a few functions in your body such as:
  • Sexual Function
  • Metabolism
  • Reproduction
  • Growth
It’s difficult for you to function properly when your hormones are out of balance. A hormone imbalance can cause weight gain or mood swings that affect your day-to-day life. Taking hormones can help people whose bodies don’t make enough of a certain hormone, or whose hormone levels are unbalanced.
Bioidentical hormones are just one type of man-made hormones available. Of all the hormones out there, the bioidentical type is the closest to the real thing. These hormones are chemically identical to the ones your body makes, so you can absorb them easily.
Every physical body is unique and has different needs. That’s why testing, consultation, tailor-made customized solutions and follow up are very important to understand the root cause of the way you are feeling.

Hormone and Testosterone Imbalance:

Guys, hormone balance is not just a problem among women, which also means hormone therapy can help you. Men who pursue bio-identical hormone therapy to treat hormonal imbalance may experience significant benefits, including more energy, increased muscle mass and strength, weight loss and improved sexual function.

Hormone and Testosterone Imbalance in Men

It’s a fact of life: hormone levels decline as you age. Hormone imbalance in men can occur at any point in the life cycle, but it is most commonly experienced around middle-age when testosterone levels reach a peak point of decline. Though men can experience an imbalance of any number of hormones, low testosterone has the biggest impact on a man’s health and quality of life. Symptoms of hormone balance generally begin to occur with greater frequency and intensity when a man reaches middle age.

Our physicians now can also test, diagnose and treat Hormone in Balance for your female partner as well. This can help improve your relationship and your mutual sex life!

Symptoms of Hormone Imbalance:

Most guys who come to us just aren’t feeling good. This presents as one or more of the following:
  • Loss of energy
  • Low sex drive/performance
  • Erectile Dysfunction
  • Fatigue
  • Weight Gain
  • Sleeping Issues
  • Muscle Loss
  • Irritability
  • Urinary Issues
  • Memory Loss
  • Depression
If you are experiencing one or more of these symptoms, we will perform comprehensive labs and review ALL your levels and get a complete picture from your physician exam. We will then customize a solution just for you. We have seen men that dismiss the symptoms as side effects of stress, but in a majority of cases it turns out to be low testosterone. Low testosterone can affect a man’s quality of life and be a danger to his health. Seeking treatment is the best first step to begin feeling better and improving overall health.

What is Bioidentical Hormone Therapy for Men?

Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy has become the preferred treatment for men seeking to restore hormone levels to a balanced state and stop the symptoms of aging. Bioidentical hormones are one form of hormone therapy that has gained popularity in recent decades—though it dates back to the 1930s—because of its effectiveness in helping men and women achieve hormonal balance.

Bioidentical hormones are compounded hormones derived from naturally-occurring sources and designed to be structurally indistinguishable from endogenous human hormones. The term “bioidentical” refers to the exact-match replication that can be attributed to the effectiveness of the treatment.

Bioidentical hormones are created in a lab and compounded into tailored prescriptions at a compounding pharmacy. Compounding pharmacies operate under specified guidelines established by the FDA to compound bioidentical hormones in the exact strength and dosage as prescribed by the attending practitioner. In most cases, bioidentical hormones cannot be patented and made into mass prescription forms by large pharmaceutical companies.

Doses are carefully determined by your practitioner. Your hormone therapy practitioner will meet with you to review and discuss your medical history, symptoms, lifestyle and lab results. This information ensures that your treatment plan and prescriptions are perfectly suited to the needs of your body and the health goals you wish to achieve.

Why Should Men Use Bioidentical Hormone Therapy?

There are plenty of reasons men should consider choosing bioidentical hormone replacement therapy to restore hormonal balance. Research has shown that bioidentical hormone therapy is both safe and effective, not to mention it has a very positive effect on the health of men.

For example, men who restore testosterone to natural levels using testosterone replacement therapy have been shown to reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke. Adequate levels of testosterone have also been linked to higher energy levels and healthy weight control. One study found that men treated with testosterone therapy experienced a reduction in fat mass and increases in muscle mass and strength. Other benefits of hormone therapy for men include enhanced sexual desire and performance, better bone density with aging and higher energy levels.

Men report the following benefits of BHRT while under our care:

  • More energy
  • Reduced body fat
  • Improved mood
  • Reduced anxiety
  • Increased muscular strength
  • Boosted sexual performance
  • Maintenance of lean body mass
Hormone replacement therapy using bioidentical hormones is an effective and natural option for restoring and balancing hormone levels in men. Conventional methods used to restore male hormone levels, such as synthetic hormones produced by pharmaceutical companies do not provide the tailored treatment necessary for achieving and maintaining optimal health.

When Do Men Need Bioidentical Hormone Therapy?

Deciding when to begin hormone therapy is simple. Ask yourself, when do you want to start feeling your best again? The longer you wait, the further you are from achieving this goal.

It is not uncommon for men to dismiss the signs of hormonal imbalance as normal signs of aging, however men as young as age 30 can experience hormonal imbalance. The symptoms may begin to pile up quickly or accumulate slowly over years.

If you notice one or more symptoms such as weight gain, depression, sexual dysfunction, irregular sleep patterns and fatigue, it’s time to take action. Declines in testosterone are the most common gauge for determining hormonal imbalance in men, but that doesn’t mean men are not affected by thyroid disorders or low progesterone—as examples. Testosterone production in men decreases, on average, by approximately 2 percent per year and reaches peak declines around middle age. By the time the average man reaches his seventies, he has about one-third of the testosterone he had in his twenties. Worse yet, it has been reported that the levels of testosterone in an average 60-year-old man would yield a diagnosis of hypogonadism in a younger man. Low testosterone can quickly become an issue for aging men, making it vital for men to seek treatment when symptoms initially appear.

Side Effects of Bioidentical Hormone Therapy

Bioidentical hormone therapy reduces the risk of side effects compared to other forms of hormone therapy. Though no drug, herb or supplement is 100 percent safe or recommended for every individual, bioidentical hormone therapy has comparatively fewer side effects and health risks than synthetic hormones. The Oklahoma Men’s Clinic never uses synthetic hormones and you shouldn’t either.

Our Medical Director, an accomplished Urologist, requires all patients to have complete labs every 3 months while under our care and receiving an BHRT or Testosterone Therapy from the Oklahoma Men’s Clinic. It is very important for us to continually monitor your hormone balance and make adjustments over time as needed. Your labs are included at no extra charge. We work together with you to make sure your treatment fits you like a glove and avoid side effects.

Men who have been previously diagnosed with any prostate cancer must seek approval with their primary care physician before pursuing hormone therapy, particularly testosterone therapy. However, we DO successfully treat men with active or a history of prostate cancer for Erectile Dysfunction almost every day. Our Advanced TriMed Protocol has produced amazing and wonderful results for men. Let us evaluate you and then select the therapy that is customized for the best fit for you with proven results!

Is BHRT the Best Choice for Hormone Imbalance in Men?

Men seeking to restore hormone balance and reduce the effects of aging can achieve their goals with medically supervised bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. Our expert physicians have advanced training in hormonal health and hormone therapy to ensure men can reach their health goals with a custom treatment designed to specifically address their medical concerns, improve their health and enhance their quality of life.

You should avoid using hormones from online sources as most people won’t know the source, type or preparation or manufacturing standards of those products from a quality point of view. More importantly, it is not safe to take hormones without careful physician monitoring and evaluation – and most importantly – follow up.

Treatment begins with state-of-the-art testing to assess your current hormone levels and get to the root cause of your symptoms. After your results come back from the lab, your physician will meet with you to discuss your medical history, symptoms, and how life has changed for you personally. He or she will use this information to develop a comprehensive treatment plan that may also include dietary changes, fitness recommendations and pharmaceutical-grade supplements to effectively restore hormonal balance and improve overall health. Your doctor will partner with you to develop the plan that best suits your goals and lifestyle.