Understanding Bioidentical Hormones and Compounding Pharmacies

Often patients have misinformation about bioidentical hormones and compounding pharmacies since there is so much confusing and misleading information out there about both of them. Hopefully this sheet will clear up some misunderstandings and misconceptions. Bioidentical hormones – are products in which the chemical makeup of the hormones exactly matches the chemical makeup of the …

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Stood up by your sex life.

Imagine you have a close friend with whom you’ve enjoyed years of good times. Some years were better than others, but you knew that no matter what, when you called on this friend or made plans, she showed up. Then one day you get stood up. She doesn’t call, she doesn’t write. Nada. That’s weird, …

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Hormone replacement therapy and menopause.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is the most effective treatment for women suffering from severe menopausal symptoms. These symptoms include hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, fatigue, memory loss, low sex drive, depression and more. Although menopause is a normal condition that all women experience as they age, some women find these symptoms are so severe that …

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Happy new year 2015: you come first!

When I first started working at the Center, most of my patients would tell me they waited 2-3 years to make an appointment after learning about us. They would often tell me that they put their sexual health low on the totem pole but after walking through out doors they wished they had come in …

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Menopause: the whole story.

Menopause can be a confusing and isolating time both psychologically and hormonally, and added to the stress is the fact that sexual side effects of menopause often get lost in the babble about hot flashes. There are menopausal women who will suffer from sexual dysfunction for years, see a rupture in the relationship or avoid …

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Osphena — Oral medication for painful intercourse.

By far the most common cause of painful intercourse in a menopausal woman is vulvar and vaginal atrophy. During menopause estrogen levels plummet and can result in severe vulvar and vaginal dryness. Some of my patients have described intercourse as feeling like someone was rubbing sandpaper in their vagina. Another patient described her vagina as …

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HRT reduces risk of heart failure and heart attack.

A paper published in the BMJ Group’s Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Healthcare cast doubt on the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) and the Million Women Study, which associated hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with an increased risk of breast cancer. As years go by it is becoming more evident that the Million Women Study is …

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Vulvovaginal atrophy.

Vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA) is a common condition in menopausal women. It is most commonly caused by decreased estrogen levels which affects the vaginal tissue. This tissue becomes thin, pale, dry, friable and inflamed. Women will often complain about vaginal dryness, decreased lubrication and/or pain at the vaginal entrance. Other symptoms include pruritis (itchiness), bleeding, urinary …

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