Your hormones handle a lot of important tasks to keep your body functioning. Unfortunately, there are a few life events which can cause your hormones to be out of balance, so you feel out of balance too.

Fortunately, hormone replacement therapy can keep you feeling like yourself. If you are considering hormone replacement therapy, you need to know the facts. These are a few frequently asked questions and answers about hormonal imbalance and hormone replacement therapy:

What Causes a Hormonal Imbalance?

A hormonal imbalance can be caused by natural changes or stages in your life, including puberty, pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause. Hormone levels can also dramatically decrease after a partial or full hysterectomy.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of a Hormonal Imbalance?

You might have no symptoms at all, and still have a hormonal imbalance. You might also experience signs and symptoms which can become severe. These signs and symptoms include:

• Irritability and fatigue
• Mood swings and depression
• Skin dryness and loss of elasticity
• Water retention and weight gain
• Osteoporosis and joint pain
• Less interest in sex
• Insomnia and other sleep disorders
• Memory issues and difficulty concentrating

How Does Hormone Replacement Therapy Help?

Hormone replacement gives you back your hormones at stable levels, so you look and feel like yourself again. You will experience:

• Better sleep
• Increased energy
• Enhanced memory
• Increased ability to concentrate and focus
• An elevated mood with less mood swings
• Smoother, more hydrated skin
• Increased interest in sex
• Better weight regulation and less water retention
• Joint and bone protection and increased strength

What Are the Different Types of Hormone Therapy?

Hormone therapy has made several advances in recent years. You now can choose from:

Systemic hormone therapy, which is in pill form, or patches, rings, gel, cream, or spray.

Low-dose vaginal products, which focus on vaginal and urinary symptoms, not your entire body. Low-dose comes in cream, tablet, or ring forms.

Bio-identical hormone replacement, which is a product identical in structure to human hormones. Bio-identical hormone replacement may have less side-effects than traditional hormone replacement therapy.

Your OBGYN doctor can help you choose the hormone replacement therapy best for you. To find out more about hormonal imbalance and how hormone replacement therapy can help, call your OBGYN doctor today.