Hormones can be a mystifying part of your health because they impact so many aspects of how you feel day-to-day. Hormonal imbalance affects your sleep, sex drive, energy levels, and mood. It’s no secret that these health factors greatly influence your well-being, making hormone therapy necessary for many women and men.
The hormone doctors at Amy Brenner MD, & Associates have years of experience helping our patients get back to feeling great again through customized treatment plans. Below, we cover everything we can do for you as a hormone therapy provider.
What is a hormone doctor?
A hormone doctor in Cincinnati guides you toward more balanced health by learning about your symptoms and finding the root of the concern. With hormones, there can be a domino effect. A hormone deficiency may cause one symptom, then that symptom may cause another, leaving a ripple of symptoms.
For example, a man with low testosterone levels may experience chronic fatigue/low energy. This may lead to a loss of or a lower libido, affecting his sexual wellness, too.
As you can see, hormone balance goes hand in hand with many other aspects of your health and well-being. A good hormone doctor will learn all about your symptoms and examine your blood work so they can make informed, data-based recommendations for your hormone therapy.
What can hormone therapy help with?
Since men and women have different needs when it comes to hormone therapy, the benefits differ as well. Below are some of the possible symptoms of imbalance and outcomes from hormone therapy for women and men.
For women
There are many benefits of balanced hormones through hormone therapy. Our bio-identical hormone therapy for women seeks to balance 3 core hormones: testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone.
Each of these hormones has specific benefits. Learn more about how they can improve women’s health 👇
Testosterone benefits:
- Contributes to muscle mass and strength
- Decreases fat
- Increases exercise tolerance
- Enhances sense of well-being
- Increases libido
- Supports a healthy cardiovascular system
- Lowers cholesterol
- Reduces blood sugar
- Increases bone density
Estrogen benefits:
- Protects against heart disease and stroke
- Increases bone density
- Reduces risk of Alzheimer’s disease
- Protects against vaginal atrophy (vaginal dryness)
- Helps with urinary incontinence
- Treats hot flashes and night sweats
Progesterone benefits:
- Prevents estrogen dominance
- Promotes breast health (along with testosterone)
- Protects against uterine cancer, breast cancer, fibrocystic disease
- Helps women relax and sleep better
Related: Your Guide To Hormones and Bio-Identical Hormone Therapy for Women
For men
Most men visit us for hormone therapy when they’re experiencing low testosterone. These symptoms vary widely depending on factors like age, weight, and other traits.
Some of the most common low testosterone symptoms are:
- Weight gain (especially in the abdomen)
- Loss of libido or interest in sex
- Erectile Dysfunction / decreased morning erections
- Fatigue
- Irritability / anxiety (“grumpy old men” syndrome)
- Joint aches and pains, muscle stiffness
- Loss of muscle mass
- Decreased drive and ambition
- Depression, low mood
Common outcomes from testosterone optimization for men include:
- Increased mental and physical energy
- Improved libido and sexual satisfaction
- Healthier physique
- A better sense of well-being
- Decreased fat, improved lean muscle mass
- Increased bone mineral density, protect bone health
- Decreased cholesterol, improved cardiovascular health
- Improved cognition, studies to suggest prevents Alzheimer’s disease
- Decreased inflammation
The benefits of visiting a hormone doctor in Cincinnati
With any sort of healthcare, working with a highly trained medical professional is important. You don’t want to trust your care to someone without plenty of firsthand experience and expertise.
There are many benefits of visiting a hormone doctor for knowledge and education on this particular part of your health.
Years of knowledge and experience
At Amy Brenner, MD & Associates, our physicians have many years of experience working with hormone therapy patients. We work hard to ensure you receive the best care possible. Our providers take all aspects of your health and medical history into account before recommending hormone therapy.
We provide accurate dosing, ongoing monitoring, in-depth blood testing, and more to ensure you get the most out of your hormone therapy services with us.
Rule out other issues
Before recommending you as a patient for hormone therapy, we take the time and consideration to determine whether hormone optimization is in fact the best treatment for you.
For some patients, they visit us thinking they have a hormone imbalance when really their symptoms have a different cause, like elevated cortisol levels, insulin resistance, or thyroid issues. For others, they visit us not realizing their hormones are what’s causing certain symptoms related to their physical, sexual, or mental health.
This makes it imperative to connect the dots and find the root cause of what you’re experiencing so we can save you time, money, and energy in the long term.
Help you achieve other goals
Do you have another wellness goal that you want to combine with hormone therapy? Great! A lot of our patients want to combine hormone therapy with weight loss. For some people, hormone therapy can encourage weight loss for a variety of reasons.
Many people experience more energy, increased muscle mass, and exercise tolerance, making it easier for some hormone therapy patients to lose weight. Our hormone doctors in Cincinnati can also combine your therapy with peptide therapy to optimize your body composition, sexual health, and overall well-being.
Bio-Identical Hormones vs. Synthetic Hormones
Aside from testosterone therapy, our main form of hormones we use for patients is known as bio-identical hormones.
Bio-identical hormones are hormones that are structurally and chemically identical to our endogenous (or natural) hormones.
Dr. Brenner explains the benefits of bio-identical hormones and why we prefer using them at Amy Brenner, MD & Associates below.
Though bio-identical and synthetic hormones are similar, they are not identical or interchangeable.
Think of it like using a sugar substitute instead of real sugar in a baking recipe. You cannot swap these ingredients 1 for 1, and the final result will be different. As hormone doctors in Cincinnati, we prefer bio-identical hormones for our patients, and we’re happy to explain why during your consultation.
Types of hormone therapy
One of the best parts of hormone therapy is that you can customize it to fit your lifestyle. Our hormone doctors in Cincinnati use 3 different methods of delivery for therapy: pellets, creams, and injections.
Pellets
Pellet Therapy (Subcutaneous implants): After using a local anesthetic, we place Testosterone +/- Estradiol pellets through a 3 mm incision in the hip or buttocks. The procedure only takes about 3 minutes.
Creams
Bioidentical Hormone Cream: Estrogen/Progesterone/Testosterone cream is self-administered every day and eliminates the need for needles and downtime.
Injections
Testosterone Injection Therapy: Many women don’t realize that testosterone also has a tremendous impact on female health, too. These injections are self-administered (usually in the belly or love handle area) 1 to 2 times a week for both male and female patients.
Our approach as a hormone doctor in Cincinnati
At Amy Brenner, MD & Associates, we never take a one-size-fits-all approach. The same goes for our hormone therapy patients! Keep reading to learn more about our hormone treatment process.
Consultation
Before starting any type of treatment at our office, we always start with an in-depth consultation. You’ll meet with one of our hormone doctors to get to know you and determine the best treatments for your needs. We’ll discuss your symptoms and goals for this treatment and establish realistic expectations.
Labs
To find the right dosing, we utilize blood drawn labs when we establish care. This gives us a baseline to work with, and we also monitor your lab work throughout the treatment process to ensure optimal results.
Depending on your hormone therapy type, we also will include ZRT kits. These kits are for women who use cream hormone therapy. It gives a better overview on hormone levels and blood labs. We still monitor blood labs regularly, and patients do this kit annually.
Ongoing monitoring
Your hormone doctor will check in with you regularly to see how you’re feeling and check on your progress. We may even recommend supplements that will work together with your hormone treatment to optimize your levels even further. We strive to provide an integrative experience for well-rounded care.
Tailored to your goals
Every patient is different, and so are their goals! If you’re experiencing symptoms related to sexual wellness, aesthetic concerns, weight loss, or something else, we will recommend a treatment plan tailored to you. Many of our hormone therapy patients combine this form of therapy with sexual wellness coaching.
Check out HealthiHer® podcast on men’s and women’s hormone topics and more!
HealthiHer® holds the key to everything you need to know about living a healthier lifestyle. With each episode, expect thoughtful insight, expert advice, and useful tips to help you look and feel your absolute best. We tackle all types of topics for both men and women!
Check out this hormone episode:
#15 How Hormones Got a Bad Rap With Steve Goldring, R.PH
Listen and subscribe on our website, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts 🎧
Visit with a hormone doctor in Cincinnati at Amy Brenner, MD & Associates!
Ready to look good and feel good with hormone treatments? Visit us for our latest services and customized treatment plans!
Our experienced providers will guide you through the process and ensure we meet and exceed your needs for transformative results. We offer a warm, friendly environment for our clients in the Cincinnati metropolitan area while providing the highest quality surgical procedures, aesthetic treatments, wellness services, and more. No matter what, we will stick with you throughout your entire journey because your goals are our goals.
Try out an instant virtual consultation or book your in-person consultation today!