How Long Does Hormone Replacement Therapy Take?

Are you noticing some drastic changes to the way your body looks and feels, especially as you’re getting older? Hormones may be the culprits. To help yourself feel your best again, you might want to consider getting out hormone replacement therapy Huntsville AL treatments at Advanced Life Clinic in Huntsville, AL.

How Long Does Hormone Replacement Therapy Take?

If your body doesn’t feel its best, know that you don’t have to live with this forever. Hormone replacement therapy Huntsville AL, or HRT, can provide you with an effective way to manage a host of different health concerns and conditions, as well as cosmetic ones.

Different types of HRT will take different amounts of time to see the results you want. Some people may see results within just weeks of their first treatment, while others may need several sessions to get to where they want to be. When you visit our clinic, we’ll help you come up with a treatment plan and provide you with realistic expectations for your treatments. The HRT appointments themselves will generally take an hour or less.

All About Your Hormones

If you’re looking for a clear understanding of how exactly HRT works, understanding what hormones are and what they do will help. Essentially, hormones are messages that your body sends to various parts of your body through your bloodstream.

These messages tell your body how to behave and how to react to certain stimuli. They control systems like your metabolism, reproductive system, your body’s growth and repair, and many others.

What Is a Hormone Imbalance?

For your body to work its best, you need your hormones to be at the appropriate levels. If they are not, then you’re going to start noticing changes and problems in the way your body feels. When these hormones aren’t at the right levels, this is a hormonal imbalance.

Many different things can cause hormonal imbalances, and both men and women can experience this issue. When you have a hormonal imbalance, then you’ll likely notice some major changes in the way your body feels, behaves, and looks. These imbalances can happen for several reasons. These are just a few examples:

Diabetes

Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are metabolic diseases that are caused by high blood sugar. The main issue with both types is insulin. Insulin is a hormone that your pancreas makes to help digest sugar from carbohydrates and use it as energy.

But when you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t produce enough insulin or it’s unable to use the insulin that it does make effectively. Symptoms of diabetes include weight loss, extreme fatigue, blurry vision, increased thirst, and increased hunger. Injecting insulin into your body will help it work properly.

Thyroid Issues

Your thyroid is responsible for helping your metabolism function properly. It produces two specific hormones which help your body digest food and turn that food into energy. This, in turn, affects the way your heart beats, your ability to breathe comfortably and deeply, as well as how you gain or lose weight.

Hypothyroidism is when your thyroid doesn’t make enough of these important hormones. This can cause you to feel tired and sluggish as well as gain weight. Hyperthyroidism, on the other hand, is when your thyroid produces too much of its hormones, causing you to lose weight, feel irritable, or have a racing heartbeat.

Menopause

This is a stage that all women will eventually reach. It’s the time in a woman’s life when she stops having her period for at least a year and is no longer able to reproduce. While it’s a natural part of life, it does come with many side effects.

As you go through menopause, you’ll notice some major changes in your body caused by fluctuations in hormone levels. These fluctuations can trigger symptoms like mood swings, hot flashes, night sweats, chills, and problems sleeping. You may also experience weight gain.

Aging

Getting older causes changes to all areas of your body, including your hormones. The older you get, the more difficulty your body has producing certain hormones as well as regulating them. That’s why you’re going to notice changes in things like your mood and sex drive as you age.

The changes may be inevitable, but they can be frustrating to deal with. While menopause is probably one of the most well-known side effects of getting older, hormonal imbalances caused by aging aren’t exclusive to women. Many men may find they’re noticing changes and could also be great candidates for something like hormone replacement therapy.

What Are Some Benefits of Hormone Replacement Therapy?

Improved Brain Function

Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. Unfortunately, however, many people don’t put as much focus on their mental health as they should. If you’re experiencing issues like fogginess or memory loss, these could be symptoms of hormonal issues.

You may want to talk to your doctor about getting HRT. This treatment can help your hormones get back to their appropriate levels. This is going to have a significant effect on your ability to focus, remember, and perform difficult cognitive tasks.

Stabilized Mood

Mood disorders can be caused by many things. Hormone imbalances are most often the culprit. Things like depression and anxiety can make it difficult to live your life the way you want to and, in some cases, be extremely dangerous and life-threatening. If you are experiencing the signs and symptoms of a mood disorder, talk to your doctor right away.

Whether your hormones are imbalanced because of a mental illness or because of something like aging, HRT can help. It will allow your moods to stabilize which will help you stay happy and healthy.

Weight Loss

There are several hormones that are responsible for maintaining your metabolism. When these hormones aren’t balanced, you could run into problems with your weight. If your metabolism is too slow, then your body is going to gain weight much more easily. Excessive weight gain can cause a lot of potential problems.

If you’re eating right and exercising regularly but still struggling to lose weight, then you could have a hormonal imbalance on your hands. Getting HRT can help your metabolism start working faster again, which will allow you to lose weight much more effectively and keep it off too.

Higher Sex Drive

We used to believe that losing one’s sex drive was an inevitable part of the aging process. Many people experience a decrease in their libido, or the desire and energy it takes to have sex, as they get older or as a result of other kinds of hormonal imbalances.

However, today we know that even people late in life can have active and healthy sex lives. If you are seeing a decrease in your libido and this is something that’s bothering you, talk to your doctor about HRT. This treatment can help you get your sex drive back to normal.

What Do I Do If I Want Treatment?

If you are thinking of getting HRT to help balance out your hormones and live a happier, healthier life, then the first thing to do is book a consultation with us. We’ll go over your health concerns and determine if this treatment is right for you.

We’ll also go over your medical history and goals to ensure that you are a good candidate. Both men and women can reap the benefits of this treatment, and it can be used to target a range of different conditions.

How Can I Help My Results Be As Effective As Possible?

While getting HRT will provide you with many benefits, they work best when you combine them with an overall healthy lifestyle. In many cases, hormone imbalances can be exacerbated or even caused by unhealthy lifestyle habits like poor diets or excessive drinking.

If you want to ensure that your results are the best they can be, then make sure you continue to eat well even after you get your treatment. It’s also a good idea to keep up with a regular exercise routine, as well as to take good care of your mental health.

Call Us Today

If your body doesn’t feel the way it should, hormone replacement therapy Huntsville AL can provide you with the effective and long-lasting results you’re looking for. Remember to visit the right clinic for your treatment. Book a consultation with us today at Advanced Life Clinic in Huntsville, AL.