Just two years ago I listened to patients visiting the Biologiqué office tell me about their symptoms as they entered menopause. From insomnia (one of the worst), to lack of energy and focus, to hot flashes and sweating that gave the impression of being inside a sauna. Not to mention the libido. This lack of sexual desire affected not only my patients, but also their partners who often accompanied them to the clinic to make sure that the doctor understood the urgency of a solution to the problem.
I must confess that I was already experiencing some symptoms such as fatigue (an extreme tiredness that invades you) and "brain fog". The latter is when concentration becomes difficult, you forget the most elementary things, you feel mental confusion and you lose sight of the essentials. I also call it lack of focus. Personally, it is one of the worst symptoms I have experienced.
Today, at 47 years old, I must say that this process is much more difficult than I ever imagined. Between the fatigue, mood swings, lack of focus and not sleeping well you feel like your world is upside down, not to mention the stressful situations that add up in these pandemic times.
Fortunately, this can be remedied. Yes, you read me correctly. And that was one of the greatest joys in the office. Seeing how the patients who came in feeling so bad were able to recover their wellbeing and even transform into themselves. I say "them" because they went back to being who they really were before suffering the symptoms of menopause, although for me they were totally new women. Full of life and energy. Women who felt confident and in control.
The remedy? Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. It is a process where hormonal imbalance is corrected. Dr. Jose Negron calls it bringing your hormones to an optimal state. There are several ways to do this, including pellets, creams, patches or injections. For example, pellets, which are the size of a grain of rice, are inserted into the hip area. They release either testosterone or estradiol and are absorbed by the body over a period of 3 to 4 months. It is an extremely simple and fast process. In that period of time you begin to feel a general sense of well being and the symptoms due to perimenopause and menopause diminish or disappear. I use them and I can say that I love feeling the energy that comes from having my hormones optimized.
If you are interested in finding out if you are a candidate for one of these treatments you should arrange for an evaluation where you will need to bring blood tests, mammography and in some cases an endovaginal sonogram. You don't have to live feeling bad. Although menopause is a natural process, it is possible to age with quality of life. Nothing like the accumulated experience and energy of our best years to have an optimal life.
Written by Irmaris Rodríguez