Hormone Replacement Therapy.
As if the basic symptoms associated with menopause weren’t enough, recent studies have revealed perimenopause can amplify:
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Other mood disorders
For women who are battling these disorders, the transition into menopause may exacerbate the problem, but not to worry because you have options such as Hormone Replacement Therapy.
And, unfortunately, for those who have battled PTSD, anxiety, or depression and won, the bad news is that menopause may open up those old wounds again.
The Good News
The good news is, although there is still a lot of research to be done to get down to the exact reason behind this phenomenon, there are ways to decrease or even resolve the symptoms. In this post, we will offer:
- A general understanding of PTSD
- How Perimenopause can affect PTSD
- How Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) can help
PTSD Doesn’t Just Affect Soldiers
Although we usually associate PTSD with soldiers who have been in combat, PTSD can be born out of any kind of trauma.
Car accidents, assault, abuse, natural disasters, or other events that threaten our lives or consistently threaten our safety can cause PTSD. And although PTSD can occur in all genders, studies have found that women are more susceptible.
We all experience some form of trauma at some point in our lives. For most people, it only takes a few weeks to recover. But for others, that is not the case.
For these people, the symptoms continue on and on in what seems like a never-ending loop. If you have been traumatized and are experiencing long term emotional responses that inhibit you from functioning at your fullest, then you may have PTSD.
PTSD Symptoms
PTSD symptoms differ from person to person, but according to the National Center for PTSD, there are four main symptoms to watch for.
Symptom #1: Reliving the event.
You may keep:
- Repeating memories of the event
- Having nightmares
- Experiencing flashbacks, in which you feel like you’re reliving the traumatic event
Symptom #2: Avoidance.
You avoid situations or people you think might trigger memories. You refuse to talk or think about the traumatic event for fear of bringing back bad memories.
Symptom #3: Negative beliefs or feelings.
You may feel:
- Guilt
- Shame
- Insecurity
- Mistrust
- Numbness
You may be unable to feel happy. You may feel disinterested in activities you used to enjoy.
Symptom #4: Hyperarousal.
Hyper-arousal, also know as “hyper-vigilance,” means you are constantly on high alert for danger. This may cause trouble sleeping or the inability to stay focused. Often people who suffer from hyper-arousal turn to drugs or alcohol for relief.
Why PTSD May Worsen or Return During Perimenopause
First off, if you suffered PTSD in the past, your symptoms are not guaranteed to return once you hit perimenopause, but it’s best to be aware it may happen so you can catch and treat it early on.
Research Is Ongoing
Research in this area is relatively new, so experts are still trying to discern the exact connection between PTSD and perimenopause. What PTSD and perimenopause obviously have in common is they can feel the same.
With PTSD, emotions are high pitched and out of control. Women who are in perimenopause often experience extreme mood swings. The mood swings can mimic the emotional chaos of PTSD and trigger up the PTSD again.
Hormone Fluctuations
As of yet, it is unknown as to whether the hormone fluctuations that happen during perimenopause are directly linked, but to the woman who is experiencing the emotional fluctuations, the lack of emotional control is familiar.
It can cause anxiety and hyper-vigilance and utterly disrupt her life. Unfortunately, once PTSD is triggered and the nightmares and flashbacks kick in, the symptoms will snowball unless treated.
Not All in Your Head
What we can tell you is that the mood swings are not “all in your head.” They are very real, and hormone fluctuations trigger them.
Hormone fluctuations will take your emotions all over the place until your hormones level out post-menopause. Hormone replacement therapy may help. That’s why it’s essential to do what you can to keep your hormones in balance while you are going through the transition.
Finding Solutions Including
You can find psychological, emotional, and medical support from a variety of places.
Psychological
We know you may hesitate to talk with a doctor about your mood swings or PTSD symptoms if, in the past, your symptoms were dismissed or belittled. But mood disorders are rarely healed without some outside help.
We encourage you to find a therapist or doctor that you can trust with whom you can your options so that you can get back to your life again. No one needs to suffer when there are interventions and solutions available. And you don’t have to “ride it out” until your hormones come back into balance on their own.
Emotional
When looking for a therapist or counselor, you might consider someone who specializes in this area or who has gone through this roller coaster ride herself.
There are plenty of support groups out there where you can meet others who are going through or have gone through similar experiences. These groups are great for emotional support and are a hotbed of resources for solutions.
Medical Support
We also recommend getting to the medical core of the problem. At this point, most doctors agree that perimenopausal women who are revisiting their struggle with PTSD or mood disorders are experiencing a hormone imbalance. The best way we have found to get hormones back into balance is BHRT.
What is Hormone Replacement Therapy?
HRT is a type of hormone therapy that uses hormones that are structurally identical to the substances as they naturally occur in your body. It has been a favorite for women going through perimenopause and menopause who are struggling with hormonal imbalance.
What is Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy?
BHRT is the natural alternative to synthetic hormone treatments that often don’t provide relief. EvexiPEL’s approach to BHRT is superior because it’s natural.
The materials used in our pellets are derived from natural plant sources that mimic the molecular structure of those hormones found in the body.
Federally qualified pharmacists extract the exact amount of estrogen, testosterone, or progesterone needed from plant sources and compound them into our pellets. Nothing synthetic or hard to pronounce is going in your body so you can feel safe using our method.
You Have Unique Needs
Other hormone therapy options include pills, patches, and creams, but these don’t offer an individualized approach for your unique needs and health concerns. Patches, creams, and pills also have the following issues, they:
- Require constant maintenance.
- Require you to remember to do something every day.
- Can be messy.
That’s why we choose to use hormone pellet therapy. Hormone pellets have been around for decades but providers pushed them aside when pills and patches flooded the market.
However, many practitioners are turning back to hormone pellet therapy to offer their patients a more individualized approach to restoring balance and optimizing hormones.
What Are Hormone Replacement Therapy Pellets?
Hormone pellets are roughly the size of a grain of rice. They are composed of hormones blended for your specific needs. These tiny pellets are inserted under the skin, usually in the buttocks, in a simple and painless in-office procedure.
The pellets consistently release small amounts of hormones directly into the bloodstream, similar to the way your body would in previous years.
The pellets also release the hormones in response to physical activity or emotional stress, both the good and bad kind, which means that whenever your mood swings or your PTSD kicks in, the pellets are working to maintain hormonal balance.
It generally takes 2-4 weeks for you to start feeling better, but full hormone optimization could take closer to 6 months. Because of this, EvexiPEL providers understand this is a long term relationship.
They will follow-up regularly with you to monitor how you are doing and customize hormone optimization based on your symptoms and blood work.
Why Finding an EveiPEL Provider Could Be Just What You Need
Our practitioners spend as much time as necessary, talking with their patients. This means they will not stop until they have uncovered the root cause (or causes) of the issues that you are having.
EvexiPEL providers run several tests and follow-up tests as well as have multiple conversations with you until they can diagnose the problem. They will then come up with a holistic plan that addresses whatever is ailing you.
With issues such as PTSD and mood disorders brought on or accelerated by perimenopause, this treatment plan will likely involve what is sometimes thought of as unconventional treatment methods.
This could mean a combination of:
- Counseling
- Detoxifying your environment
- Attending to your emotional well-being
- Nutritional supplementation
- Anti-depressants
- BHRT
We Are Here For You
Whatever you need, our providers will be there for you. You don’t have to go through this alone. Our practitioners will work with you to devise a unique and effective treatment plan. Find an EveiPEL provider today!