Menopause Treatment Specialist in Scottsdale, AZ

Sounds daunting right? It doesn’t have to be. Menopause is not a “phase” or “stage” of life that you go through and then come out the other side of… Let me explain.

“Why am I still hot flashing? I’m through menopause already!”

“I should be through menopause by now. Why do I still feel like this?”

“I am done with menopause. I went through menopause in my early 50s.”

These are phrases that I’ve grown to love… Not because I love to burst your bubble, but rather because I love to educate patients on the facts and empower them to take control of their hormones and live their best life.

Menopause is the ‘pause’ of your menses, to put it simply. Most women understand that when they stop having a regular menstrual cycle, they are considered menopausal. A patient is not formally diagnosed as menopausal until they cease having a period for 12 full months (1 year.) There is a large decline in hormone production (primarily estrogen, progesterone and testosterone) starting around age 40 and when it finally declines to a certain point, your hormone production is not enough to maintain a menstrual cycle and you are likely no longer fertile. This can be confusing for many because it’s not as linear of a process as you might think.

Many women have irregular periods for years before their final menstrual cycle. This phase, starting around age 40, is considered perimenopause. More on that in another post … The average age of full-blown menopause is around age 53 for women in the United States. Once the period is gone for an entire twelve months in a ‘naturally cycling woman,’ she is considered menopausal. There are also important blood tests (mostly FSH) that hormone doctors hone in on to determine a woman’s estrogen producing capacity as she ages, since estrogen levels vary a lot throughout the month and can be an unreliable test by itself in the perimenopausal phase. You may be thrilled to say goodbye to your monthly period, but I imagine you are not so thrilled about the symptoms you are starting to suffer from:

• Hot flashes 
• Night sweats
• Insomnia 
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Mood swings
• Vaginal dryness 
• Low libido
• Sexual dysfunction
• Fatigue
• Weight gain
• Dry skin/hair
• Hair loss
• Muscle loss
• Foggy thinking
• Memory loss
• Muscle/joint pain

When your ovaries peter-out on you and discontinue production of estradiol, progesterone and testosterone, they never produce these hormones again. I repeat. They NEVER kick back in and work again…

The symptoms listed above are a direct result of low estradiol, progesterone and testosterone and these hormone levels will remain low for the rest of your life unless you seek treatment. These symptoms leave you feeling like a shell of your former self. You don’t have to live this way. You deserve better.

Targeted, individualized, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy will give your life back. My preferred treatment plan includes bio-identical hormone replacement in the form of pellet therapy. To learn more about bioidentical hormone pellets, read this page. Most patients have full resolution of symptoms and maintain a steady stream of balanced hormones using pellet therapy alone, however there are many different combinations of hormone therapy that we can use to individualize your treatment and fit your specific needs.

Common Questions and Answers

Don’t worry, most women don’t.

I can help with that. I recommend detailed hormone blood testing as well as a thorough consultation to determine your menstrual history and symptoms.

Don’t worry, most women don’t.

This is not a one size fits all process. We are individuals, complex and unique… 

Some women have had ablations, partial hysterectomies (still have ovaries,) are on birth control pills, have IUDs, etc… This leaves them unsure of their menstrual cycles because they don’t bleed every month, yet are not considered menopausal because their hormone levels have not declined yet. For many of these women, their hormone levels are healthy and they do not experience any symptoms of menopause yet. For others, they may be experiencing low hormone levels as a result of their treatments but are still not considered menopausal.

This is where targeted and individualized hormone treatment shines and I love to help women rebalance their hormones and feel their best.

Other scenarios warrant the label of menopause such as a complete hysterectomy, oophorectomy, salpingo-oophorectomy, or damage to the reproductive system from medications, radiation/chemo and procedures that render a woman menopausal, even at a young age. In these scenarios, women are left without the capacity to produce hormones and are left in a state of menopause, even at a young age and require hormone replacement therapy for a resolution of symptoms.

Key points to remember:

• Menopause is not a phase – it’s a lack of hormone production that remains for life
• You don’t have to put up with these symptoms – hormone therapy will help!
• Seek the guidance of a physician who specializes in hormone replacement therapy of all kinds – let’s find a long term plan to suit your needs and lets you live your best life!

For more information, call us or book an appointment online. We serve patients from Scottsdale AZ, Tempe AZ, Mesa AZ, Paradise Valley AZ, Chandler AZ, Phoenix AZ, and BEYOND!