Both women and men can suffer
from hormonal complaints
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Bio identical hormones (hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are identical to our own hormones that can be applied in the form of tablets, creams or gels due to a hormonal deficiency caused by depleted ovaries. The application of bio identical hormones is still in early stages in the Netherlands compared to the rest of Europe and the USA where prescribing them is quite normal.
Many people (both men and women) suffer from hormonal imbalances which can cause complaints for years. Think of obesity, fatigue, burn-out complaints and sleeping problems. It affects everything in your life such as your appetite, energy, mood, libido, metabolism and immune system. Hormones largely determine our behavior and our mental, emotional and physical well-being.
Nutriswitch and Bio identical hormones
Since Nutriswitch’s existence, we have found that many of the complaints that come up with our clients are hormone related. Although with orthomolecular therapy including lifestyle modification, various remedies and supplements much can be achieved in the medium term there is a certain complaint group that in combination with HRT can improve much faster. Because there are no other places in The Hague where this form of hormone therapy is offered, we thought it was time to change this. We joined forces and found a partner in this field. For this reason we have chosen to cooperate with Medical Anti Aging Ceter M2AC in Rotterdam/Noordwijk under the direction of a qualified Gyneacologist. The bio-identical hormones are prescribed on the basis of blood values and an extensive anamnesis. The interpretation of the blood values is done by the physician of M2AC (Medical anti aging center) who supervises. In addition to this advice, one receives advice on a healthy lifestyle with diet and adequate exercise and the possible supplementation of food supplements.
What you need to know
Menopause in women
Menopause in women can cause many problems such as hot flashes, night sweats, poor sleep, aching muscles and joints, dry mucous membranes, pain during sex, poor sleep, PMS symptoms and feeling depressed.
Menopause can do a lot to your body and mind in many ways. Some women go through it without a problem, but some women go through hell. For these women there is a solution, There are many options today to make you feel better including applying Bio Identical hormones.
About 80% percent of women experience symptoms of menopause, the other 20% have no symptoms. Of that 80%, one-fifth have severe symptoms. There are about 1.5 million menopausal women in the Netherlands, so this is a huge group of women. Moreover, menopause-related complaints are responsible for over 30% of sick leave among women between the ages of 45 and 60.
Definitions menopause women
Menopause, menopause, postmenopause, perimenopause are terms that are often used interchangeably.
Therefore, here are the definitions in the correct order:
Premenopause
The period preceding menopause, during which the menstrual cycle is still regular.
Perimenopause
The period before menopause, during which changes in menstruation occur, up to one year after the last menstruation.
Transition
The period when the menstrual pattern begins to change, including the first menstruation-free years, and during which women may experience complaints/symptoms caused by a decrease in the function of the ovaries.
Menopause
The last menstruation in a woman’s life (you don’t know it was your last period until you haven’t menstruated for a year after that). The International Menopause Society (IMS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) also use the term “natural menopause” to indicate that menstruation has stopped due to a natural decrease in estrogen and progesterone production and not due to disease, medication or surgery.
Postmenopause
The period beginning one year after the last menstruation.
Menopause in men
Unlike menopause in women, andropause in men is a much more gradual process. From around 30 years of age, testosterone in the body decreases. Between the ages of 25 and 75, the free level drops between 50-60%. The drop in testosterone levels along with a possibly increased estradiol level can cause physical and psychological changes.
What can men notice about this?
- Decreased vitality with aging
- Reduced sex drive
- Erectile dysfunction
- Weight gain
- Reduction in muscle strength
- Increased abdominal fat
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Less rapid recovery after exercise or sports
- Less energy
- Lethargy and less initiative
- Reduction in general well-being
- Changes in sleeping pattern
Bio Identical is that endogenous or foreign to the body?
Let’s look at the differences between bio identical hormones and synthetic hormones. Important to the action and safety of hormones is whether the estradiol and progesterone used has exactly the same molecular structure as the estradiol and progesterone your body makes itself. These hormones are called “body’s own hormones,” even if they are made in a laboratory or factory.
Substances that exert an estrogenic effect on the human body but are not identical to any of the body’s own estrogens (estrone, estradiol, estriol) are called “foreign estrogens,” or the synthetic variety. These include estrogens designed by pharmaceutical companies in the laboratory, such as ethinylestradiol, as well as the so-called conjugated equine estrogens (CEEs) extracted from the urine of pregnant mares. We can make the same subdivision for progestogens: Progesterone is endogenous progesterone. Alien forms of progesterone include drosperidone, norethisterone, medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), dydrogesterone, lynestrenol and megrestol. Endogenous hormones are safer because they are identical to our own hormones and are recognized by the body. The non-body hormones behave slightly differently and the liver will also have to work hard to break down these hormones.
Are bio identical hormones right for me?
Hormone replacement therapy is not suitable for all women with menopause symptoms. In fact, there are several conditions where prescribing hormone replacement therapy can be harmful or even dangerous. The most important ones? Breast cancer, history of breast cancer, other malignant neoplasms with estrogen and/or progestogen sensitivity, a past thrombosis or embolism and some liver diseases. A high risk of cardiovascular disease and abnormal vaginal bleeding are also reasons not to start this treatment. The choice for HST is always in consultation with us and the qualified gynecologist.
How does the treatment proceed?
First consultation
The first consultation consists of mapping the symptoms through an intake. Information will be requested and given. You will receive a blood collection form with instructions on which you will tick what will be tested. This form can be taken to any blood sampling point.
2nd consultation
Once the results of the blood test are in, a prescription will be written by an authorized MACC physician. The second consultation can then be scheduled. During this consultation, the blood test will be evaluated, the treatment plan discussed, lifestyle advice given and instructions given for the prescribed bioidentical hormones and/or supplements. The first prescription will be no longer than 3 months. Following this is the evaluation.
Evaluation
After 3 months, there will be an evaluation. How is it going with the use of the bio identical hormones, supplements and lifestyle adjustments. There will possibly be an adjustment in the advice or progress of the previously given advice. Consideration will be given to how often there will need to be an evaluation.
Costs Bio Identical Hormones
First consultation: €425,00 – This includes intake, forms, blood test (forms and instructions).
2nd consultation: €325,00 – This contains the advice, prescription and 3 evaluation calls and instructions
The blood test will need to be repeated once per year €425,00
