The cessation of menstrual bleeding as a result of the depletion of women’s ovarian reserves is called menopause. Depending on the aging process, menopause begins on average at the age of 50-55 years. Apart from natural menopause, women can enter menopause at an earlier age after premature ovarian failure and surgical procedures for the ovaries. Many clinical symptoms occur because the production of female hormones called Estrogen and Progesterone, which are produced from the ovaries in menopausal women, decrease. In most women, these symptoms begin 3-4 years before menopause and peak with menopause. Feeling the symptoms of menopause differs between people. While some women are not bothered by these symptoms, they can make life unbearable for others.
Menopause Symptoms:
Hot Flashes: It typically manifests itself with hot flashes, which start from the rib cage and spread to the face, sweating and, more rarely, palpitation attacks.
Insomnia
Night Sweats
Weight Gain: Due to slowing of metabolism
Insulin Resistance
Mood Changes: Anxiety, irritability, Depression, Lack of Concentration
Memory decrease
Vaginal Dryness
Sexual Reluctance
Fatigue and Low Energy
Osteoporosis (Bone Loss)
It is especially indicated for women whose menopausal symptoms affect their daily lives and women who enter menopause at an early age. Synthetic hormone replacement (estrogen alone or pills containing estrogen + progesterone) has been widely used in the world for many years in the treatment of menopausal symptoms. After the consecutive publication of the Women’s Health Initiative in the USA and The One Million Women Study in the UK in 2002 and 2003, there has been a serious decrease in the use of synthetic hormone replacement therapy all over the world. Because, in both studies, it has been shown that besides the benefits of synthetic hormone replacement therapy, it increases the risk of Coronary Heart Disease, the risk of Stroke, the risk of Embolism and the risk of Breast Cancer.
In this process, Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) has come to the fore instead of synthetic hormone replacement therapy in order to treat menopausal symptoms. Unlike synthetic hormones, the hormones used in the treatment of BHRT are almost equivalent to the hormones produced in the human body in terms of molecular structure. In addition, in the treatment of BHRT, hormones are used in the form of creams that are applied under the tongue or on the skin, not orally, unlike synthetic hormone therapy. In this way, since the hormones do not undergo the metabolic effect called the first pass effect in the liver in the treatment of BHRT, the formation of the Xenoestrogen molecule, which is the unwanted metabolite of the estrogen hormone, is prevented.
Normally, 80% of the Estrogen produced in the human body is E3 (Estron), 10% is E2 (Estradiol) and 10% is E1 (Estrone). Of these Estrogen forms, especially E1 is closely associated with the risk of breast ca, while E3 has a protective effect against breast ca. Here is another difference between BHRT treatment and classical hormone replacement therapy. Because E2 alone is not given to patients in BHRT treatment, but E2 and E3 combinations are used at varying rates.
In BHRT treatment, unlike classical hormone replacement therapy, there is no standard dose applied to every patient. The hormone dose to be administered is individual. Detox treatment can be applied to clean the Xenoestrogen molecules that may have formed in the body in those receiving classical hormone replacement therapy before BHRT treatment. PAP smear and mammography controls should be performed at appropriate intervals in patients who are started on BHRT treatment.
