BIOIDENTICAL HORMONES
Practitioner: Tara Clapp, ND
Dr. Tara Clapp, N.D. is a Bio-identical Hormone and Anti-Aging specialist. She helps women to overcome the side effects of age-related symptoms, such as those experienced in menopause. Many women assume that the hot flashes, mood swings, vaginal dryness, brain fog and weight gain they experience as they approach middle age are normal signs of pending menopause that they just have to accept. But these could be due to a hormone imbalance that is easy to correct. Although people often refer to the symptoms women experience as being those of menopause, they are, in fact, symptoms of perimenopause. Menopause refers to the time when a woman stops having periods every month. Perimenopause is the time leading up to menopause when the ovaries start to produce less estrogen.
What Are Hormones?
There are three main hormone-producing organs that work together to support not only our reproductive health, but also our adaptation to stress, our moods, our energy, and the health of our skin. These are our adrenal glands (secreting the hormones DHEA, cortisol, testosterone and other hormones); our ovaries (secreting estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone); and our thyroid gland (which secretes thyroid hormones).
Are You Dealing with a Hormone Imbalance?As you get older, you will begin to notice changes in the production of some of these hormones. The effects of hormone imbalance in women range from feeling mildly uncomfortable to being totally disabled by the symptoms. Most women fall somewhere in between. If you are in your mid 30s to early 50s, you probably recognize several of the following symptoms associated with hormonal imbalance:
What is Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy?
Bio-identical hormones are hormones that are structurally and chemically the same as those that the body produces. Although they are made in the laboratory, bio-identical hormones mimic the hormones the human body produces naturally. As a result, the body cannot tell the difference between the hormones it produces and the bio-identical ones. Bio-identical hormones can be made from plant or animal products.
Bio-identical hormones can be used to treat symptoms of perimenopause and menopause in women, resulting in potential benefits, including:
This starts with doing salivary testing and blood tests so measure your hormones and the effects they are having on your tissues. Based upon your individual results, you may be prescribed thyroid hormone, bio-identical estrogen cream and/or bio-identical progesterone cream. Then you are retested 1-4 months later to assess the effect of the hormones to ensure that the dosages are appropriate for you! By identifying the imbalances, countless patients have been able to gracefully transition through the different physiological phases of aging.
Call 905-988-9160 to schedule your appointment!
What Are Hormones?
There are three main hormone-producing organs that work together to support not only our reproductive health, but also our adaptation to stress, our moods, our energy, and the health of our skin. These are our adrenal glands (secreting the hormones DHEA, cortisol, testosterone and other hormones); our ovaries (secreting estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone); and our thyroid gland (which secretes thyroid hormones).
Are You Dealing with a Hormone Imbalance?As you get older, you will begin to notice changes in the production of some of these hormones. The effects of hormone imbalance in women range from feeling mildly uncomfortable to being totally disabled by the symptoms. Most women fall somewhere in between. If you are in your mid 30s to early 50s, you probably recognize several of the following symptoms associated with hormonal imbalance:
- Difficulty lubricating, resulting in painful intercourse
- Lack of energy
- Easily gaining weight
- Sleep dysfunction
- Changes to your menstrual period
- Feeling overwhelmed by everyday life
- Lack of sex drive
What is Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy?
Bio-identical hormones are hormones that are structurally and chemically the same as those that the body produces. Although they are made in the laboratory, bio-identical hormones mimic the hormones the human body produces naturally. As a result, the body cannot tell the difference between the hormones it produces and the bio-identical ones. Bio-identical hormones can be made from plant or animal products.
Bio-identical hormones can be used to treat symptoms of perimenopause and menopause in women, resulting in potential benefits, including:
- reduced fatigue
- increased sex drive
- less hair thinning
- reduced hot flashes
- less dry skin
- improved sleep
- reduced bloating
- better thinking and memory
This starts with doing salivary testing and blood tests so measure your hormones and the effects they are having on your tissues. Based upon your individual results, you may be prescribed thyroid hormone, bio-identical estrogen cream and/or bio-identical progesterone cream. Then you are retested 1-4 months later to assess the effect of the hormones to ensure that the dosages are appropriate for you! By identifying the imbalances, countless patients have been able to gracefully transition through the different physiological phases of aging.
Call 905-988-9160 to schedule your appointment!