FEMALE POST-MENUPAUSAL HORMONE BALANCING

THE POST-MENOPAUSAL HORMONE PANEL
Literally, menopause means the cessation of the monthly menstrual cycle and signals the end of a woman’s natural childbearing years. Menopause is neither a disease nor an illness, it is a natural and usually gradual change in glandular function. It has its origins in the beginning of menses and culminates in a series of hormonal changes that result in the cessation of menstrual ﬂow. This transition produces a variety of bodily manifestations and symptoms, and is due to changes in production of hormones and the timing of their release.

VARIOUS BODY PARTS UNDERGO CHANGE AND CAN PRODUCE ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING SYMPTOMS:
Endocrine
Bleeding irregularities
Vaginal dryness
Hot ﬂashes/sweats
Changes in sex drive
Nervous system
Insomnia
Nervousness, irritability
Headache
Mood Changes
Depression
Metabolic changes
Skin aging/cosmetic changes
Osteoporosis
Altered fat and carbohydrate metabolism
Atherosclerosis

WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT?
There are several therapeutic options which may minimize or even eliminate many of the symptoms:
1. Treat symptoms using synthetic hormones without hormone level testing.
2. Treat symptoms using natural hormones without any testing.
3. Treat and correct symptoms using natural hormones with testing for hormone levels before & after treatment.

WHY SHOULD YOU TEST?
Hormones are powerful substances that control multiple functions throughout the body. Hormone levels should be sufﬁcient and balanced. Too much or too little of them is not conducive to long-term emotional, mental and bodily health.

By not measuring the hormones before and after treatment your hormone picture is, at best, an educated guess, since hormone levels from woman to woman can vary 200 – 1,500%. In fact many women need only one hormone, while others require 3 or 4 different kinds.

Just as you cannot balance your bank account without numbers on your bank statements, hormone testing provides both a basis for treatment and proximity to your goal.

ONE CAN THEN:
Customize natural hormone dosing to meet individual needs.
Optimize hormone levels for minimum dose to relieve symptoms. Avoid overdosing.
Achieve appropriate and compatible physiologic levels of several hormones.
Increase sense of “well being” by removing underlying hormone deﬁcit and imbalances.

WHAT DO WE TEST FOR & WHAT DOES IT TELL YOU?
We test for male and female natural hormones. One, two, six or eight of them, depending on the need. We utilize your saliva as a sample for measuring hormones, such as Testosterone, DHEA, Progesterone, Estriol, Estrone, Estradiol, Dihydrotestosterone,* and Androstenedione.*

The brain derived regulating hormones, FSH** and LH,** are also measured to help assess efﬁcacy of control and feedback between the brain and ovaries.

Saliva hormone values reﬂect the tissue concentration of your hormones. Blood and serum contains the total hormone, but your tissues are only bathed with the active or effective fraction as found in saliva. Active fraction measurements are superior to blood and urine measurements both in diagnosis and treatment.

*Part of the Male Hormone Test **Included in the expanded PHP-1

HOW CAN WE HELP YOU?
Let us take a common example:
A woman suffers from several symptoms-migraines, hot ﬂashes and emotional fragility. She is having irregular periods, one every 6-8 months. Her doctor treats her with natural estrogens, but he does not do any testing to determine quantities or types of hormones that will meet her speciﬁc needs. The symptoms are under control, but her risks are the following:
•  Increased blood pressure
•  Endometrial cancer (uterine cancer)
•  Fibroid growth
•  Gallbladder disease
•  Over 15 years, at least twice the risk of breast cancer

What could we have found out if we had tested her saliva hormone levels? We would have known that she has too much estrogen, not enough progesterone to balance the estrogen, low DHEA, and marginal testosterone.

But, she felt good on the estrogen, many will say. Yes, however, the silent killers (cancer, blood pressure, heart disease) rarely make anyone feel bad at the start. Her best course is a new treatment plan, designed around the objective saliva hormone measurements.

HOW DO YOU BENEFIT?
There are ﬁve distinct areas that you will beneﬁt from using the saliva tests.

1. They are affordable and less expensive than blood or urine tests. Blood testing for six hormones costs $250-$300 more than saliva testing.
2. Collection procedure spares you the pain of venipunctures with a needle.
3. Results are more clinically reﬂective of your hormone status and needs.
4. Results can lead to an individualized and customized treatment plan using natural hormones.
5. You will minimize overdosing and under-dosing. This will insure that you use only the proper hormones in the appropriate amounts. With salivary hormone testing, guesswork is past news.

To determine if the PHP or ePHP Panel is the appropriate test for your health problems, consult with Dr. Smith or Ronnie.