Menopause signals a transition in a woman’s reproductive cycle, marking the end of menstrual periods and fertility. The hallmark sign is 12 consecutive months without a period. Perimenopause refers to the transitional stage leading up to menopause, which can begin up to 10 years prior.
During perimenopause and menopause, reductions in estrogen and progesterone cause physiological and psychological changes. Common menopausal symptoms include hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, irregular periods, trouble sleeping, emotional changes, and urinary issues. Furthermore, the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease increases after menopause due to hormonal shifts.
Timely evaluation and individualized treatment plans can effectively manage symptoms and promote long-term health after menopause. Our compassionate providers at Vitality Balance Clinic in Irving specialize in perimenopause and menopause care. We conduct thorough assessments to identify causes of hormonal dysregulation and customize evidence-based hormone therapy protocols to meet each woman’s unique needs.
Hormone therapy (HT), including estrogen therapy, progesterone therapy, and combined estrogen-progestogen therapy, is the most effective treatment approach for relieving menopausal symptoms. Numerous formulations and routes of administration are available, including oral tablets, skin patches and gels, vaginal rings, creams, and suppositories. OurProviders determine optimal regimens based on the type and severity of each patient’s symptoms. We collaborate closely throughout treatment adjustments to ensure maximal benefits and safety monitoring.
For women without a uterus who experience only vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes, estrogen therapy alone is typically recommended. Women with a uterus require progesterone therapy as well to protect the endometrium.HT is also beneficial for preventing bone loss and genitourinary conditions like vaginal atrophy once estrogen levels decline at menopause. Select patients may utilize HT for up to 5-7 years during early postmenopause. However, duration often depends on timing of initiation and personal risk factors like age and family history.
Our compassionate and experienced Vitality Balance Clinic providers in Irving offer cutting-edge hormone therapy specific to each woman’s menopausal transition stage and health profile. We provide in-depth risk-benefit analyses so patients can make fully informed decisions about treatment options.
In addition to customized hormone therapy when indicated, we advise all our menopausal patients on evidence-based lifestyle measures to support this transition:
* Nutrition: Diets higher in phytoestrogens like soy, flax seeds, legumes, grains, and nuts may help mitigate declines in estrogen levels. Focusing on anti-inflammatory diets rich in fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, lean proteins, and fiber promotes overall health. We provide personalized nutrition consultations.
* Fitness: Regular exercise is imperative for healthy bones, joints, muscles, heart health, mental wellbeing, and managing menopausal weight gain. We suggest gradually increasing activity up to 150 minutes per week. Local favorites like the Lake Carolyn trails, MacArthur Fitness Center, and popular yoga studios cater to peri- and postmenopausal exercisers.
* Stress and mood management: Menopause often coincides with midlife stressors that necessitate proactive self-care—like therapy, meditation, community groups, or art hobbies—to support emotional health. We help connect patients with these local resources in Irving.
* Preventive care: Menopause increases risks for medical issues like heart disease and osteoporosis, so we emphasize regular screening exams, bone density tests, bloodwork, pelvic exams, pap tests, and mammograms tailored to patients’ distinct health profiles during this period.
Our knowledgeable Vitality Balance Clinic team provides individualized lifestyle recommendations alongside hormone therapy to empower women experiencing menopause. We serve as partners to optimize health, quality of life and longevity during this transition and beyond.
Menopausal hormone therapy remains highly controversial and nuanced due to shifting stances over time. During earlier phases of research in the 1960’s-90’s, HT was liberally prescribed to treat perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms. However, findings from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) trial in the early 2000s suggested health risks—like strokes, blood clots, and breast cancer—may outweigh benefits among older women using particular HT formulations.
As a result, HT prescription rates plunged due to uncertainties about safety, fueling misconceptions that hormone therapy is universally dangerous or ineffective. In actuality, the specific HT regimens and study populations examined in WHI do not generalize well to symptomatic women under age 60. Subsequent long-term analyses clarified that HT benefits likely outweigh risks when initiated strategically within 10 years of menopause onset in appropriate candidates without contraindications. Global consensus statements now endorse HT in this context.
Vitality Balance Clinic in Irving offers credible, evidence-based HT specialty care that is attuned to the latest guidelines. Our board-certified gynecologists and internal medicine physicians have 30 years collective expertise caring for diverse menopausal patients. We provide cutting-edge hormonal treatments personalized for patients’ unique symptoms, histories, risk profiles, and personal priorities using shared decision making principles.
Far too many women endure years struggling with disruptive hot flashes, sexual health issues, broken sleep, accelerated aging, and emotional changes believing nothing can be done or fears about HT perpetuated by outdated claims. We empower patients with individualized data about current HT options best suited for their situations—not a one-size-fits-all approach. Don't settle for subpar menopause care. The Vitality Balance Clinic team in Irving applies an integrative approach focused on each woman’s optimal vitality and wellbeing during midlife and beyond. We welcome the opportunity to clarify misconceptions, answer questions, and develop customized treatment plans for your menopause transition.
A little-known natural remedy that can help ease menopause symptoms is sage. Research shows the herb contains phytoestrogens which mimic estrogen and help relieve hot flashes. A 2017 study found daily sage tablets reduced menopause symptoms like night sweats just as effectively as hormone therapy, without side effects.
Thorough evaluations are necessary to determine the type and timing of hormone therapy most appropriate for each patient’s perimenopause or menopause transition stage. At Vitality Balance Clinic in Irving, initial consultations encompass:
* Medical history documentation: We obtain comprehensive histories about the onset pattern, severity, timing, and impacts of menopause symptoms, along with complete health profiles, family histories, risk factors, and treatment goals.
* Physical exams: Pelvic, breast, and full physical exams identify potential contraindications for estrogen and progesterone therapy. Pelvic ultrasound or endometrial biopsy may also be warranted to assess uterine health.
* Lab testing: Bloodwork helps clarify menopausal status and inform HT decisions by measuring baseline hormone levels (estradiol, FSH, AMH), cholesterol panels, blood counts, blood clotting factors, liver enzymes, and other organ functions. Thyroid testing excludes other potential causes of similar symptoms.
* Bone density assessments: DXA scans establish current bone mineral density to quantify osteoporosis risks both on and off hormone therapy down the line.
Follow-up monitoring continues over the course of treatment including periodic lab work, bone density scans, pelvic ultrasounds, pap smears, and physical exams—more or less frequently depending on the regimen. We modify therapy as needed based on response and safety data. Our goal is maintaining optimal quality of life throughout the menopause transition and keeping future health risks in check.
* Estrogen formulations: Estrogen therapy typically forms the cornerstone of treatment for hot flashes, night sweats, and genitourinary symptoms. Various preparations provide flexibility matching each patient's symptom profile and preferences: oral tablets, topical gels/creams, transdermal patches, vaginal rings, suppositories or creams. Dosage often ranges from 0.3 milligrams (low-dose vaginal products) up to 1-2 milligrams (higher systemic doses) of estradiol or its equivalents, which can be fine-tuned based on tolerability and response.
* Progestogens for endometrial protection: Women with intact uteruses require adequate progestogen therapy—like oral medroxyprogesterone, norethindrone acetate, or micronized progesterone—to offset estrogen’s stimulation of uterine lining growth if insufficient estrogen alone. Without this, estrogen substantially elevates endometrial hyperplasia and cancer risks. When additional contraception is unnecessary, we often recommend intermittent progestogen regimens with 10-14 days of treatment every 1-3 months.
* Androgen therapy: Supplemental low-dose testosterone therapy via gels, creams or sublingual tablets represents an emerging option for select women experiencing persistent sexual health complaints, despite adequate estrogen therapy. Off-label usage requires careful considerations of long-term safety data and avoidance of supratherapeutic dosing.
* Compounded bioidentical hormones (estrogen, progesterone): Some women prefer compounded hormones derived from plant sources to match natural estrogen and progesterone molecular structures. However, mainstream regulatory bodies do not substantiate claims that such bioidentical hormones confer added benefits or safety advantages versus traditional offerings for approved indications. While potentially suitable for some patients, compounded products warrant close clinical monitoring due to quality control issues with over a third of test samples, per concerning FDA analyses.
* Tibolone: As a unique synthetic steroid, this tablet provides estrogen-like effects on hot flashes, bone and vaginal tissue without directly stimulating breast or uterine tissue like conventional estrogen treatments. However, tibolone carries warnings about potential stroke risks and is not commonly used in the United States given availability of alternative options that allow separating estrogen from progestogenic components.
These represent only a sample of the range of hormone therapy modalities tailored case-by-case at Vitality Balance Clinic. We help each patient navigate options to curate an optimal regimen based on their symptom priorities, health histories, risks and lifestyle considerations.
Significant drops or fluctuations in reproductive hormones signaling perimenopause and menopause onset manifest years prior to cessation of menstrual cycles. Therefore, laboratory bloodwork serves as a sensitive means to assess menopausal status, determine timing of therapy initiation and provide objective monitoring over the treatment course.
While no global consensus exists defining strict hormonal thresholds, common lab reference ranges indicate postmenopause when:
* Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels exceed 30 or 40 IU/liter across two measurements at least six weeks apart * Estradiol levels fall below 50 pg/ml or 20 pg/ml twice at least six weeks apart * Alongside elevated luteinizing hormone (LH) * With low Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) less than 0.5-1.0 ng/ml
At Vitality Balance Clinic, our providers consider the overall clinical picture including patients’ characteristic symptom timelines and patterns rather than solely relying upon typical lab reference standards which lack perimenopausal nuances. We frequently assess sex hormone binding globulin, total and free estradiol, estrone, testosterone, DHEA-S, progesterone and other labs as needed to clarify hormone depletion patterns even when periods are still irregular and guide therapeutic decision-making.
Ongoing follow-up bloodwork continues once hormone therapy is initiated to ensure appropriate dosing—such as keeping estradiol levels within a mid-physiologic range like 50-100 pg/mL—and monitoring for potential risks like rising hemoglobin or declining HDL cholesterol.
Our experienced physicians integrate holistic hormone testing and careful monitoring to best support patients’ smooth transition through perimenopause and beyond at our Vitality Balance Clinic in Irving. We aim to alleviate frustrating guesswork around changes many women face during the menopausal transition.
