Women over the age of 40 often begin to notice symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, and hot flashes. While these symptoms are usually attributed to menopause or aging, they may be caused by estrogen deficiency in the body. This concern typically develops before or during menopause and can continue for years if left untreated, causing mood swings, brittle bones, thinning hair, and other side effects. At Angelic Lift in Daytona Beach, FL, we offer estrogen pellet therapy to help women restore a healthy balance in their bodies and combat symptoms of hormone deficiency.
What Is Estrogen Pellet Therapy?
Estrogen pellet therapy is a type of bio-identical hormone therapy designed to correct hormonal imbalances in women. With this unique hormone treatment, pellets the size of a grain of rice are inserted under the skin in the hip or buttock with a long, hollow needle. These pellets are slowly absorbed into the body, releasing a continuous flow of estrogen until they disintegrate completely.
How Does Lack of Estrogen Make You Feel?
Women who experience an estrogen deficiency may not know the source of their symptoms. It’s important to notice how you feel and how your body is responding to the aging process, including menopause, as you grow older. To assist you in identifying a possible estrogen deficiency, here are some of the most common symptoms:
Painful Sex
One of the most common side effects of low estrogen is vaginal dryness. This is often caused by a decrease in the production of natural vaginal lubrication during menopause. The result is uncomfortable or painful sexual intercourse. Estrogen therapy can help restore normal hormone levels and stimulate the body to continue producing sufficient lubrication.
Decreased Libido
Along with vaginal dryness, decreased libido can be a common concern associated with estrogen deficiency. As women age, they often feel less interested in sex. This can lead to decreased satisfaction during sexual intercourse. With estrogen therapy, you can see your libido restored and enjoy sex again.
Mood Swings
Estrogen imbalance can lead to unpredictable mood swings. These mood swings can make women feel like they no longer have control over their emotions. Often, an emotional imbalance is directly related to hormone deficiency. Estrogen therapy can improve mood swings and help you feel more in touch with your emotions.
Hot Flashes
Hot flashes and night sweats are a hallmark of menopause, but they are often caused by the hormonal fluctuation that accompanies this aging process. Estrogen therapy can reduce the frequency and intensity of hot flashes and aid in keeping you comfortable during the day and night.
Fatigue
Chronic fatigue can be easily mistaken for a normal side effect of aging. Many women would never connect their fatigue to hormone deficiency, but the truth is that hormonal imbalance can be exhausting for your body. Restoring healthy estrogen levels can boost your energy, keep you awake and alert, and help you feel more ready to enjoy each day to the fullest.
Thinning Hair and Dry Skin
Your hair and skin could be impacted by low estrogen levels. Symptoms can include balding, thinning hair, and dry skin. Restoring healthy estrogen levels can improve the overall health and appearance of your hair and skin over time.
Bone Density Loss
Estrogen, along with calcium and vitamin D, is used by the body to keep your bones strong and healthy. When estrogen levels fall, bone density loss can make you more likely to injure yourself in the future. Making sure that your body has sufficient calcium, vitamin D, and estrogen during the aging process keeps your bones from losing volume and helps you remain active for longer.
Weight Management Issues
During menopause, many women gain weight unexpectedly. This can lead to confidence and self-esteem issues as they struggle to lose weight and restore their ideal image. Hormonal imbalance can contribute to sudden weight gain, and balancing your hormones with estrogen therapy may help you maintain a healthy weight.
Depression and Anxiety
Mood swings can be unpredictable, but depression and anxiety caused by hormone deficiency can be long-lasting side effects of this issue. Estrogen therapy can help re-balance your body and all its functions, including your mental health. Many women find that their symptoms of depression and anxiety improve once they begin hormone replacement therapy.
Brain Fog
Brain fog is a broad term for the general forgetfulness and memory issues that accompany hormone deficiency. Hormone therapy can help you think more clearly, feel more engaged, and even aid your memory retention during the aging process.
How Can Menopause Cause Estrogen Deficiency?
To understand how menopause can lead to estrogen deficiency, it’s important to know that menopause is divided into three distinct stages: perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. Perimenopause, which occurs as the body begins to end the natural menstrual cycles, comes with many of the symptoms people associate with menopause. This includes hot flashes, sweating, mood swings, breast tenderness, decreased libido, and other side effects. During this stage, hormone levels are fluctuating constantly.
During menopause, which is the second stage, the menstrual cycle ends and hormone levels begin to drop. This is due to the fact that the ovaries are ceasing the production of hormones, including estrogen. During postmenopause, the hormone levels reach an all-time low, and symptoms of hormone deficiency can begin to develop. The body stops producing estrogen and, if left untreated, your hormone deficiency can lead to long-term issues like brittle bones, anxiety and depression, dry skin, thinning hair, decreased sex drive, and other common concerns.
When Will I See Results?
Some patients notice an almost-instant improvement in some symptoms, including their mood and sex drive, one to three days after pellet insertion. This is thanks to the pellet’s quick release of estrogen after insertion. More often, patients will see their results appear one to two weeks after their appointment. These results can include an improved and stable mood, increased sex drive and enjoyment, decreased brain fog and memory concerns, and increased energy levels, all thanks to the influx of estrogen in your system.
Some concerns, such as bone density, skin and hair health, and depression and anxiety, may take slightly longer to improve. This depends on how severe these symptoms were before treatment and may also be impacted by your general health and lifestyle.
What Are the Benefits of Pellet Therapy?
Pellet therapy is one of the best hormone delivery systems available due to its slow-release design. While topical treatments like patches and creams could effectively boost hormone levels, they often created a rollercoaster effect as hormone levels shot up and then plummeted once the treatment faded. Oral medications can better control the release of hormones, but they are not able to deliver long-lasting results for most patients.
In contrast, hormone pellets can deliver results lasting three to five months with one simple, 15-minute treatment. They release hormones consistently and are not as likely to cause treatment-related mood swings. With continuous treatment, you can see your deficiency-related concerns improved over time. Estrogen pellet therapy is one of the most convenient and effective treatment options for many women. An average ongoing treatment plan requires just three to four appointments per year, giving you the flexibility you need for your unique lifestyle and schedule.
Am I an Ideal Candidate?
If you are an adult woman over the age of 40 who is experiencing or has already experienced menopause, you could be a good candidate for estrogen pellet therapy. In general, candidates should be healthy and have realistic expectations about the results they may see from treatment. You should also be free from any medical conditions or concerns that could interact negatively with hormone therapy treatment. If you are unsure of your eligibility for treatment, one of our doctors will help you determine your candidacy during your initial consultation.
What Should I Expect?
Consultation
First, you will meet with one of our professional doctors for an initial consultation. This appointment allows your doctor to learn more about your medical history, symptoms, and areas of specific concern. They will test your current hormone levels to diagnose any deficiency, then recommend a personalized treatment plan that is right for your circumstances. Once you are approved for this treatment, you can begin preparing for your first appointment.
Treatment
At the beginning of your first treatment session, you will be able to ask your doctor any questions you may have. Your doctor will clean the skin on your hip or buttock, depending on your preferences, then administer a local anesthetic to numb the area and keep you comfortable during the pellet insertion. They will use a slightly longer, hollow needle to place the pellets under the surface of your skin. The pellets will begin to release estrogen soon after they are inserted. Your appointment should take 15-30 minutes, after which point you can return to your normal activities with no downtime required.
Recovery
The recovery process for this treatment is fairly straightforward. For at least three days, you should avoid submerging the treated area and keep the insertion site clean with warm water and soap. Most patients report that their skin is healed completely one to three days after their appointment.
Results
Your first results may appear within one to three days of treatment. However, you can expect your final results to become visible one to two weeks after the estrogen pellets are inserted. You may notice your energy levels and sex drive increase during this period. In addition, you may feel more alert and more interested in pursuing your favorite activities. As your results continue to improve your overall health, you may notice that symptoms such as hot flashes, mood swings, and lack of enjoyment during sex are all improved. Your bone, skin, and hair health should also improve as your hormone levels reach a point of balance.
Maintenance
In order to maintain their results, most patients opt to follow a personalized treatment plan recommended by one of our doctors. This may include three to four pellet insertions each year. With continuing treatment, you should see your physical, mental, and emotional health continue to improve even while your aging process progresses.
Contact Us to Learn More!
Don’t let hormonal imbalance and low estrogen levels impact your health and wellness. Let estrogen pellet therapy improve symptoms of hormone deficiency and help you create long-lasting balance in your body and mind. To learn more about what estrogen therapy could do for you, contact our team of experts at Angelic Lift in Daytona Beach, FL, to schedule an initial consultation today! We look forward to helping you reach your goals!