Treatment Length:
Varies
Number of Sessions:
Ongoing; as needed
Duration of Results:
Varies
What It Treats:
Reproductive system, bones, hormonal imbalances...
What It Treats:
Reproductive system, bones, hormonal imbalances, symptoms of menopause, low bone density
Trying to boost your hormone levels? We understand the importance these key components have in your body, playing a pivotal role in reproductive and non-reproductive physiological processes. That’s why we’ve introduced hormone replacement therapy in Winter Garden at Horizons OBGYN & Aesthetics.
Supplementing your body with estrogen and progesterone can alleviate symptoms of menopause and hormonal imbalances. Delving into this treatment with us will offer you a deeper understanding of how your body regulates your hormones and the effects that they have on your health.
Our hormone replacement therapy works by replenishing declining estrogen levels in a woman’s body during menopause. It alleviates common symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness.
The treatment involves a personalized hormone prescription that works to restore the balance of your overall well-being. With quality, personalized care, we’re offering you relief and empowerment while navigating hormonal changes. We are also offering testosterone replacement with pellets for men and women.
Hormone replacement therapy involves replenishing estrogen levels in your body, which can help maintain healthy bone density as you age. By doing so, you are reducing the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures, better ensuring your body’s strength and integrity.
Increasing estrogen levels through hormone replacement therapy may offer cardioprotective benefits by improving your lipid profiles, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, and enhancing your heart function.
Hormone replacement therapy in Winter Garden effectively alleviates symptoms associated with menopause, such as hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness, while enhancing your overall comfort and quality of life.
Get started today with our Treatment Planning Tool to explore your options.
Step 1: Consultation
During your consultation, one of our board-certified providers will conduct a comprehensive evaluation. Together, you’ll discuss your medical history, symptoms you’re experiencing, and treatment goals. They may also perform a series of exams and lab tests to assess your current hormone levels.
Step 2: Treatment
Our hormone replacement therapy in Winter Garden involves supplementing declining levels of estrogen in the body. Based on your needs and desired results, our specialists may use medication pills, patches, topical creams, or injections to effectively deliver the therapy.
Step 3: Results
Regularly monitoring your hormonal levels and any symptoms that may arise, helps to promote your overall well-being. After the procedure, your doctor will work with you to create a customized treatment plan, addressing concerns, outlining the benefits, and ensuring that your expectations are met.
A hormonal imbalance can cause a myriad of symptoms, some you may notice, and others you don’t. Most women simply report feeling “off” and don’t quite know why. This often leads to them just enduring the symptoms rather than seeking professional help.
But hormonal imbalances can last for years, especially for women going through perimenopause, menopause, or in postmenopause. At HorizonsOBGYN, we want you to find relief from a hormonal imbalance so you can enjoy life’s little moments again. That’s why we offer hormone replacement therapy in Winter Garden. But if you’re unsure whether you’re just feeling off or if your symptoms stem from a true hormonal imbalance, here are 5 signs to look out for.
Typically, your menstrual cycle lasts 21 to 35 days, and you usually know when to expect it. An irregular menstrual cycle is characterized by your period coming early, late, or not at all. It is also typically heavier or lighter than you’re used to. While factors like lifestyle changes, certain medications, or trauma can affect your cycle, an irregular one could also indicate a hormonal imbalance, especially for perimenopausal women.
Perimenopause is the life-stage that happens before menopause, when your ovaries produce less estrogen and progesterone—two hormones that regulate your reproductive system and your menstrual cycle. This phase starts approximately 10 years before menopause, often affecting women in their 30s or 40s.
When you come to HorizonsOBGYN for irregular or missed periods, we can test your hormone levels to see if a decrease in estrogen or progesterone is the source. If that’s the case, we can talk about the possibility of starting hormone replacement therapy in Winter Garden, especially if you have additional symptoms that are affecting your quality of life.
Hot flashes and night sweats are the most commonly known and experienced symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. These are sudden feelings of warmth and intense heat in the upper body (face, neck, and chest). Women also experience sweating, flushed skin, a rapid heartbeat, and as the hot flashes subside, chills.
Night sweats are the same thing as hot flashes, only they happen at night and can disrupt your sleep.
Estrogen regulates your body’s hypothalamus (your internal thermostat). With a drop in estrogen, the hypothalamus becomes more sensitive to small changes in body temperature, triggering these vasomotor symptoms. That’s why women rely on treatments like hormone replacement therapy for relief from these sudden daily and nightly disturbances.
With replenished estrogen levels, you can regain better control over your body’s temperature regulation, leading to a significant reduction in hot flashes and night sweats.
Vaginal dryness causes irritation and discomfort, interfering with daily activities like walking and sitting. Most women also notice a burning or itching sensation, which impacts their sex life and makes intercourse painful. Not having enough lubrication can lead to recurring urinary tract infections or yeast infections, causing even more discomfort.
Estrogen is the hormone that provides your vaginal tissue with elasticity and lubrication. As your levels of estrogen decline, it not only causes vaginal dryness, but also reduces elasticity and strength. When we restore your levels of estrogen with hormone replacement therapy in Winter Garden, it can improve that dry, itching, and uncomfortable feeling.
Another common and recognizable symptom associated with perimenopause and menopause is mood swings. While vaginal dryness, hot flashes, and irregular periods can certainly contribute to a bad day, and subsequently a bad mood, these aren’t the only factors. As it turns out, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone affect the neurotransmitters in your brain that keep your mood stable.
Estrogen improves serotonin and dopamine levels, the “feel-good hormones” that are responsible for happiness and pleasure. When estrogen production drops, so do these neurotransmitters, which can lead to increased irritability, anxiety, and even depression.
Progesterone enhances gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmitter activity, which calms your nervous system and allows your brain to process information at a relaxed pace. With declining or fluctuating progesterone levels, women can feel more anxious and antsy.
Testosterone affects energy levels by enhancing the production of red blood cells, which provide oxygen and nutrients to tissues for energy. With lower testosterone levels, you may experience less motivation and energy. While women don’t often expect testosterone to be included in their treatment for hormone replacement therapy in Winter Garden, in small doses, it makes a big impact on overall health.
You can blame a lot of factors on having less interest in or desire for sex; work-life balance, unfulfilling relationships, trauma, or other lifestyle factors certainly play a role. You can also blame the myriad of unexplained symptoms you’re experiencing for your low libido. After all, if you’re experiencing vaginal dryness and pain during intercourse, why would you have any interest in sex?
Low libido is a hormonal issue, especially with lower testosterone levels, which can cause hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD). Testosterone targets the brain pathways that activate your desire for sex. When we replenish estrogen, you should no longer experience vaginal discomfort. Therefore, hormone replacement therapy can improve both your psychological and physical interest in sex.
At Horizons OBGYN & Aesthetics, we give you access to different methods of hormone replacement therapy. During your consultation, we take many factors into consideration when helping you determine the best method. Here are some of your options for hormone replacement therapy in Winter Garden.
This technique involves the insertion of a rice-sized pellet into the hip or buttock, supplying custom doses of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone into your body. For the following 3 to 4 months, the pellet gradually and steadily secretes hormones into your bloodstream, making this a low-maintenance option.
Patients revisit at the end of the timeframe for another dose.
For patients with a severe hormonal deficiency, injections may be your best option. This method delivers a customized dose directly into your bloodstream on a weekly basis. It’s fast-acting, reliable, and allows us to adjust your dosage depending on how your body responds to the hormones.
A noninvasive method that is applied directly to your skin. Patches are also low maintenance and don’t require daily application.
These pills are small tablets that you take daily to replenish your hormone levels. While non-invasive and convenient, they don’t work as well as injections or pellets for severe hormone deficiencies.
Our topical creams are applied to the skin as a form of noninvasive hormone replacement therapy in Winter Garden, offering lasting benefits.
We are a dedicated team of professionals here to guide you on your treatment journey. It is important to remember and follow your care instructions to ensure optimal results of your treatment.
We’re proud to offer periodic specials throughout the year so you can save on many of our most popular services. Visit our specials page to see our current offers and start saving now.
Although these symptoms are mild and temporary, you may notice breast tenderness, vaginal bleeding during intercourse, headaches, and hot flashes.
Although very unlikely, individual responses to hormonal replacement therapy in Winter Garden may vary. With a balanced diet and moderate exercise, you can decrease the likelihood of weight gain and enhance your overall health.
While noticeable changes begin to manifest within just a few weeks of your treatment, some individuals may discover that it takes them more or less time to adjust to their customized treatment plan.
While not a full remedy or tool for lowering your A1C (blood sugar levels), hormone replacement therapy can be part of a comprehensive treatment plan to manage or prevent diabetes more effectively. By addressing hormonal imbalances that can affect insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism, hormone replacement therapy can offer support in achieving better glycemic control.
In addition to hormone replacement therapy in Winter Garden, we can also provide medical weight loss treatments, nutritional guidance, and exercise recommendations to support your blood sugar levels.
You can start your treatment for hormone replacement therapy as early as your 20s, especially if you are experiencing symptoms of a hormonal imbalance. During your consultation, we will take labs to check your hormone levels and determine the best course of action to re-stabilize estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone production. We may also ask about birth control, as pills, IUDs, and other hormone-based contraceptives can play a role in your symptoms.
The duration of your treatment depends on how long you wish to continue hormone replacement therapy. There is no specific timeline or age that requires you to stop treatment. If you wish to stop, you may experience symptoms like hot flashes, vaginal dryness, or other concerns again. Our team can help you through this transitional time and provide lifestyle guidance or other treatments to help you find relief.
“Bioidentical” means that the hormones are derived from plants like wild yams, soy, or cacti, and have a similar chemical structure to those produced by your own body. At Horizons OBGYN & Aesthetics, we offer both bioidentical and synthetic options for hormone replacement therapy in Winter Garden.
Bioidentical hormones may be more effective and come with fewer side effects than synthetic hormones. However, synthetic hormones have been FDA-approved and in use for decades.
There are pros and cons to both, and we can discuss them during your consultation.
It’s best to have an OBGYN or a nurse practitioner oversee your treatment. They can assess your individual needs and develop a personalized plan to manage menopausal symptoms or other hormonal imbalances.
Our story begins with Dr. Manny Herrera, a board-certified OBGYN and body sculpting aesthetic surgeon, and his wife Katie Herrera, a certified nurse midwife/women’s health nurse practitioner. We founded OBGYN & Aesthetics to provide comprehensive women’s care in the Winter Garden community.
Our practice is family-owned and operated, with over 35 years of combined research and experience. We are proudly trilingual in Spanish, Portuguese, and English and happy to serve our Winter Garden community. When you visit our award-winning practice, you’ll be pleased to experience compassionate and dedicated care from each of our medical care providers.
