We often think of hormone replacement therapy in terms of how it affects the way the body looks, and less in terms of how it affects the way the body functions. More recently, hormone replacement therapy has also been associated with the transgender community. When individuals transition, they quite often use HRT in order to aid in that transition, replacing their biological hormones with hormones associated with their gender.
Everyone has their own specific hormonal balance, though it usually falls within a certain range depending on their biological sex. For example, the average woman will produce just one-tenth or perhaps one-twentieth of the amount of testosterone as men. This can be altered, however, through hormone replacement therapy administered by a qualified medical wellness clinic. But why do people pursue hormone replacement therapy? Let's find out a few of the main reasons.
One of the main reasons why people ask their primary care physicians about hormone replacement therapy is that they want to take advantage of weight loss or at least weight control benefits. One of the reasons why you may be struggling to lose weight is that you have a hormonal imbalance. This would leave you with less energy and a slower metabolism, causing you to process the food that you take in more slowly and put on weight.
By balancing out your hormones with hormone replacement therapy, it will be harder for you to put on weight and easier for you to work it off. Balanced hormones can help you build up the energy that you need to work out consistently, which of course is an important part of losing and controlling your weight.
There is a wide variety of physical symptoms that can be taken care of through hormone replacement treatments. Weight gain, and for that matter weight loss, is not the only noticeable symptom that can be caused by hormone imbalances. Many people often experience serious fatigue, as well as hot flashes and night sweats. Another issue that is often complained about by those with hormonal imbalances is seemingly-inexplicable pain, often in the form of muscle or joint aches. Women often experience vaginal dryness associated with hormonal imbalances, while both men and women complain of changes in their libidos.
Hormone replacement treatments are not always used to directly address these issues, but they can help treat them. When people have balanced hormones, they are less likely to experience nagging physical symptoms. Another benefit that people need to consider when receiving hormone replacement treatments is that having these types of treatments can essentially help them feel totally refreshed. Which leads us to our next subject...
If you experience all of these negative physical symptoms due to hormonal imbalances, it will likely come as no surprise for you that hormonal imbalances can have a negative effect on mental health as well. Men and women alike can experience both emotional and cognitive changes due to hormonal imbalances, and hormone replacement treatment can help people get the balance that they need. Additionally, hormonal imbalances can cause sleep disorders, which leads to the kind of irritability that will result in long term mental health issues.
Estrogen changes, in particular, can result in changes that affect mental health. In general, both depression and anxiety can be treated through hormone replacement therapy, along with medications targeting those conditions and non-medicinal treatments like talk therapy.
A major reason why individuals use hormone replacement therapies is that they aren't ready for the symptoms that come with aging. This is especially true for women, who go through menopause around the age of 50.
The symptoms of menopause can include hot flashes, fatigue, irritability, weight changes, and more. It's hard for women to control these symptoms; therefore, many use hormone replacement therapies to prevent their menopause symptoms from onsetting.
There are clearly a lot of reasons why women and men alike seek out hormone replacement therapies. They offer benefits to both men and women, and in the long term can treat more than just physical symptoms. Do your research before seeking hormone replacement therapy, but understand that it could work for you.