Bio-identical Hormones
BHRT is a process of re balancing the naturally occurring hormones which have depleted due to age.
Dr Caitlin Scott at the Menopause Clinic – The Mews Practice
As Featured in Frank Magazine, October 2020 Issue
Dr Caitlin Scott is a qualified GP from Cape Town, South Africa. After graduating from The University of Cape Town she gained over four year’s experience in hospital and private general practice. This is where her passion for women’s health developed.
Dr Marion Gluck
She started working in Australia 20 years ago and began to see the need for a better understanding of hormone therapy and more widespread treatment options for women experiencing issues. Marion believed that every person should have access to bio-identical hormone replacement therapy and the benefits needed to be discussed with patients and widely understood.
It became her mission to educate and empower people to take control of their hormonal well-being. Too often people ignore symptoms or fail to seek help because they simply don’t realise that anything is wrong. It was for this reason that she founded The Marion Gluck Clinic. Along with her team of highly trained doctors, she has helped thousands of women and men achieve optimum health and balance. She also set up our own compounding pharmacy, Specialist Pharmacy, where each prescription is prepared to the unique specifications of the patient. It is this personalised approach that has always put the Marion Gluck Clinic at the head of the pack and enabled her to offer the best possible care to the patients treated.
Dr Gluck has also developed a unique training course for doctors looking to offer bio-identical hormone replacement therapy to their patients, ensuring that more and more people have access to this treatment every day.
Hormones & Bio-identical
Bio-identical Hormones are plant-derived hormones that are identical in chemical structure to those found in the human body. The hormones are prescribed and produced based on each individual requirement. They are prepared in a compounding pharmacy.
Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy can provide relief from a wide range of symptoms associated with:
- Menopause
- Andropause (male menopause)
- Other hormone-related conditions
- Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
- Endometriosis
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome
- Thyroid dysfunction
Watch now: A conversation with Marion Gluck
Is reducing osteoporosis a reason for taking bio-identical hormones?
Are bio-identical hormones safe and regulated?
What are bio-identical hormones and how are they produced?
What is the process for being diagnosed bio-identical hormones?
Hormones for Women
Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy can help with:
- Perimenopause
- Menopause
- Pre-menstrual syndrome
- Depression
- Postnatal depression
- Thyroid dysfunction
Hormones for Men
Many people assume menopause is just a woman’s condition. However, it is not the case as men also suffer from menopause and the effects of changing hormones. Many men experience some of the same symptoms that women experience in perimenopause (meaning around menopause) and menopause, including low sex drive, hot flashes, depression, irritability, mood swings, increased body fat and decreased energy.
Male menopause, also known as andropause, is the result of a gradual decrease in testosterone. Testosterone is an androgen. Male menopause is not the same type of menopause that women go through. For this reason, doctors usually refer to “male menopause” as low testosterone, testosterone deficiency or androgen decline in the aging male.
Male menopause, or andropause, differs from female menopause, which occurs when the production of female hormones drops suddenly. Andropause is a gradual decline in hormone levels. The ovaries run out of the substance it needs to make testosterone. This does not happen with the testicles.
Testosterone levels in men gradually decline throughout the course of adulthood. This happens about 1 percent a year after the age of 30 on average. The loss of testosterone is rarely noticeable in men younger than 60. And by the time men reach their 80s, about half have low testosterone.
As testosterone and andropause levels decrease men will feel a difference in the points below:
- Decreased erection frequency and firmness
- Low libido
- Depressed mood
- Difficulty losing weight
- Trouble gaining muscle with exercise
- Decreased exercise performance
- Fatigue
Bio-Identical Hormones Prices
Treatment Schedule
Initial Consultation
The doctor may take bloods or arrange sputum tests. (There will be additional charges for these tests).
Follow up Consultation (after return of tests) between 1 week and 1 month
3 month follow up
From then 6 monthly follow ups
Adrenal Fatigue and Hormonal Imbalance
How do the adrenal glands help us cope with stress?
How are your sex hormones connected to adrenal exhaustion?
Progesterone is synthesized fairly early in the hormonal cascade, and its activity is highly influenced by the level of stress – either physical or emotional that a woman is experiencing. To explain this further, let’s talk about pregnenolone steal or progesterone steal. Pregnenolone is the primary “precursor” hormone. The primary decision the body makes with pregnenolone is whether it wants to makes sex hormones like progesterone or stress hormones like cortisol. If a woman is stressed, her body “steals” the pregnenolone and uses it for stress hormone production instead eg making more cortisol (especially if your levels of cortisol are dropping because the adrenals are becoming exhausted). However other hormones can be affected too in this turmoil, hence your Dr or therapist may find low hormonal levels across the board. But progesterone will be the one that is hardest hit. The body is basically ‘stealing’ this hormone to allow you to produce more cortisol in order to ‘cope’.
Common symptoms of low cortisol (which may start the progesterone steal):
- Symptoms associated with Blood sugar imbalances (hungry all the time, the need to snack, light-headed—jittery without food) or the use of drugs, such as caffeine, sugar and alcohol to ramp up energy and mood
- Digestive problems
- Poor immune system leading to frequent infections, and inflammatory symptoms
- Hormonal problems such as PMS, low libido, fertility problems.
- Mental and physical fatigue
- Depression
- Sleep problems and insomnia
- Headaches
- Low blood pressure
Symptoms of DHEA deficiency include:
- Persisting fatigue
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Hypersensitivity to noise
- Loss of libido
- Dry eyes
- Dry skin and hair
- Loss of head hair
Reversing adrenal burn out and aid your hormonal balance
Book your consultation for
BHRT (Hormone Therapy)
Membership
The Mews Practice offer an optional membership which includes 7 day access to GP appointments and 10% discount on selected services within the Practice.
All services are also available to non-members.