Hormone therapy (HT), also called hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or endocrine therapy, is the medical treatment of hormone deficiency using medications that replace hormones that are no longer produced naturally in adequate amounts by the body. HT can provide immense benefits and restore wellbeing when hormones become deficient due to aging or other causes.
At the Balance Health Clinic in Claymont, we offer advanced hormone therapy to help patients regain energy, strength, cognitive ability, sexual function, emotional stability, and an overall improved quality of life. Read on to learn more about common hormone deficiencies, the wide-ranging benefits of prompt treatment, and why our clinic is ideally suited to meet the hormone therapy needs of Claymont residents.
There are several important hormones that can become deficient and lead to debilitating symptoms. The most common hormone deficiencies seen in aging adults that can greatly benefit from prompt hormone replacement therapy include:
Testosterone, the primary male sex hormone, plays a crucial role in physical health, sexual function, energy levels, muscle and bone strength, mood regulation, and cognitive ability in both men and women. Low testosterone, medically known as hypogonadism, becomes increasingly common in aging men. Signs and symptoms include:
In women, testosterone regulates energy, mood, sexual desire, bone density, and lean muscle mass. Deficiency can cause symptoms like fatigue, depressed mood, anxiousness, irritability, and reduced sexual pleasure.
The primary female sex hormone estrogen plays an integral role in women’s reproductive health and in regulating body systems like metabolism, cardiovascular function, and bone density. Estrogen deficiency is most often experienced during perimenopause and menopause, causing symptoms like:
Growth hormone (GH) promotes growth during childhood but remains essential throughout life for maintaining muscle and bone mass, regulating body fat storage, supporting mood and energy, and fueling sexual health and function. Age-related GH deficiency contributes to symptoms like decreased muscle strength, increased belly fat, fatigue, anxiety and social isolation, and erectile dysfunction.
The thyroid gland produces hormones like thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) that regulate metabolism, heart rate, body temperature, menstrual cycles, digestion, and more. An underactive thyroid gland leads to a condition called hypothyroidism, causing symptoms such as unexplained weight gain, constant fatigue, intolerance to cold, dry skin and hair, muscle pain, impaired memory, depression, and irregular menstrual cycles.
Restoring deficient hormones to healthy levels through physician-supervised hormone replacement can provide transformative benefits and drastically improve quality of life. Benefits may include:
Balancing key hormones provides the raw materials needed to fuel all cells and tissues, combatting chronic fatigue.
Optimal hormone levels enable the body to increase protein synthesis and build lean muscle efficiently - even into old age.
Proper hormone balance regulates fat storage and helps burn visceral belly fat while adding lean muscle.
Key hormones strongly influence crucial brain functions like attention, thinking, recall and decision-making.
Hormone therapy alleviates hormone-related mood disorders and renews motivation, assertiveness and enjoyment of life.
Restored hormones enhance all aspects of sexual health – desire, arousal, climax and intimacy.
In addition, some hormone therapy benefits include improved heart health, cholesterol levels, skin elasticity, joint comfort, sleep quality, and slowing of bone density loss that can lead to osteoporosis.
There are many reasons Claymont-area residents can trust the hormone therapy expertise offered by our clinic. Some top reasons include:
Our clinic specializes exclusively in advanced hormone therapy utilizing cutting-edge protocols personalized for your unique needs. We stay updated on the latest medical research to provide the most effective treatments.
We address all contributing lifestyle, environmental and health factors – not just lab numbers. Our integrative therapies support mind, body and spiritual wellbeing.
We customize treatment with bioidentical hormones precisely matched to your natural hormones for optimal safety and results.
Our welcoming clinic offers a discreet, spa-like setting focused exclusively on HRT – not a large impersonal medical practice.
Hormone therapy can help transgender individuals align their physical characteristics with their gender identity. Studies show that access to gender-affirming care improves mental health outcomes and lowers suicidal ideation. Though often controversial, hormone therapy plays an important role in supporting transgender people's well-being when individually appropriate.
The first step in hormone therapy is diagnostic testing to accurately identify deficient hormones for customized treatment. We utilize advanced medical technologies for in-depth analysis, including:
The process of beginning hormone therapy typically involves:
A detailed personal and family health history helps identify areas of likely hormone imbalance. Any concerning symptoms are reviewed and a physical exam performed.
With your consent, we collect blood and/or saliva samples onsite for comprehensive analysis by accredited medical labs. Results are carefully evaluated to design your individual treatment.
We present your test results, explain our analysis, and collaborate to develop an integrated treatment plan including customized hormone therapies and nutrition plans that best meet your needs and health goals.
Hormone treatments such as testosterone pellets, estrogen and testosterone creams, or growth hormone injections begin, bringing your hormones into balance. Follow-up testing helps optimize dosing.
The greater Claymont area offers an ideal setting to restore depleted hormones and revitalize body and spirit during hormone replacement therapy.
Claymont’s parks and walking trails invite daily movement crucial for balancing hormones and managing weight, such as 64-acre Fox Point State Park along the Delaware River. The local YMCA provides exercise classes and resistance training equipment for building metabolically crucial lean muscle mass.
Medical labs like Any Lab Test Now offer convenient local sites for patients to complete needed blood work during treatment monitoring. The area also boasts holistic spas like Serenity Sitters that reduce the stresses that disrupt delicate hormonal balance.
Claymont’s central East Coast location means each season provides unique benefits for hormone health. Balmy late spring is perfect for getting outside; Claymont’s sunny winter days boost mood while summer provides long daylight hours filled with activity. Hormone therapy relieves uncomfortable menopausal symptoms so women can enjoy Claymont’s best months.
Local eateries like the Half Moon Restaurant & Tavern offer nutritious fare like salmon and leafy greens containing compounds and antioxidants that optimize hormonal function. Shared meals also provide needed social connection.
While hormone medications can produce dramatic improvements, lifestyle adjustments better support long-term hormonal health. We counsel patients on additional steps like:
Nutrition: What we eat provides the basic building blocks needed to produce hormones and build healthy cells. Consuming nutritious whole foods high in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants while avoiding inflammatory processed foods enhances hormone health.
Stress Management: High stress drives over-production of cortisol and other hormones that disrupt balanced function. Activities like meditation, yoga, spending time in nature, and laughter lower stress for better hormonal regulation.
Quality Sleep: Key hormones essential for health peak while we sleep, making adequate restorative sleep essential. Steps like limiting electronics before bed, blackout window treatments, temperature regulation and sleep supplements improve duration and depth of sleep for optimal hormonal balance.
Movement and Exercise: Regular exercise stimulates circulation while movements like resistance training trigger key growth and metabolic hormones for better body composition. Outdoor activity enhances vitamin D activating hormones vital for health.
Joy and Community: Happiness fuels production of motivation, confidence and bonding hormones like oxytocin, dopamine and endorphins. Regularly engaging in meaningful, enjoyable social activities cultivates hormonal harmony.
If you experience low energy, unexplained weight gain, emotional imbalance, loss of strength, sexual dysfunction or other unresolved symptoms possibly related to hormone decline, we encourage you to explore hormone testing and replacement therapy. Restore your vitality; contact our welcoming team at Balance Health Clinic today to begin your journey toward lifelong hormone health and wellbeing.
