Bioidentical Hormones in Menopause

Are menopausal symptoms "normal" for all women? In other words, are they predestined to experience them? The collective consciousness says: Yes!

Many believe that women must inevitably go through years of hot flashes, irritability, joint pain, sleep disorders, and depression. Then their hair starts falling out, skin becomes dry and wrinkled, and desire for sex and social events diminishes. It seems the best course of action would be to resign oneself and focus on the grandchildren. And this would be the best-case scenario, provided no serious illnesses like rheumatism, cancer, or heart attack occur.

I, Dr. Wilden, say: No!

Menopause is a normal part of life, but suffering is not!

Diagnosis & Types of Menopause

Let me give you an overview of the different types of menopause, from my clinical perspective:

1. Menopause with isolated manifestations of hormonal insufficiency.

This is the most common category of women who seek my consultation and request bioidentical hormone therapy, according to Rimkus.

For example, when estrogen levels fall below a certain value, the following symptoms may occur:

• Hot flashes
• Tearfulness
• Nervousness
• Impatience
• Changed body shape with abdominal fat and cellulite
• Problems in the genital area (dry mucous membranes and bladder infections)
• Loss of libido
• Concentration problems
• Dementia

A lack of progesterone can cause:

• Stress
• Heavier bleeding
• Inner restlessness
• Sleep disorders
• Nervousness
• Aggression
• Depression
• Panic attacks.

A lack of testosterone and estrogen can cause a decline in sexual desire.

A lack of testosterone and estrogen can cause a decline in sexual desire.

Diagnosis:

Treatment with bioidentical hormones is based on laboratory and clinical findings without further special examinations. The symptoms in this category disappear in at least 70-80% of cases, and the women are satisfied. If they follow the prescribed bioidentical hormone therapies diligently, they benefit from the anti-ageing effect. Many diseases can potentially be prevented, such as osteoporosis and cardiovascular problems.

Unfortunately, many women independently reduce their dosage after the symptoms disappear and take fewer and fewer bioidentical hormones until they forget them completely. Depending on their individual genetic and epigenetic profile (lifestyle habits: diet, exercise, lifestyle), the symptoms return or entirely new ones appear that seemingly have nothing to do with hormones. They then become patients of rheumatologists, cardiologists, orthopaedists, and surgeons. Thus, they directly become patients from category 3 of this list.

2. Menopause with mild manifestation

Here, many changes occur simultaneously, but the attention of women in menopause typically focuses on things like stress, psychosomatic aspects from childhood, partnership, and the inevitable ageing process.

Diagnosis:

This group has grown continuously recently (New Age) and represents women who tend to explain all physical manifestations through psychological stress and energetic problems. It is very difficult to convince them to supplement with bioidentical hormones. However, these women are very open to aspects of dietary changes, toxin elimination, and exercise.

For this category, I have no concrete statistics of my own, except for the bioidentical hormone creams, which work incompletely.

3. Toxic menopause with intense manifestations

Symptoms that apparently have no connection with hormones:

• High blood pressure
• Autoimmune diseases
• Fibromyalgia
• Chronic pain

Therapies with bioidentical hormones are administered according to these manifestations, accompanying medication, and the individuality of the case.

Diagnosis:

In this group, I include three categories of women/patients:

Category #1: Women with weak detoxification capacity

These women have a special genetically determined hormone sensitivity, which is incorrectly classified as "hormone intolerance." Even bioidentical hormones act toxically for them. Women in this category cannot detoxify hormones normally, their metabolites accumulate in the body, and the barrel is always overflowing. This intolerance appears relatively quickly, so there is no risk of dangerous overdose: pimples, bad skin, bloating, dizziness, sleep problems. Therefore, many algorithms are tried. Generally, only tiny amounts of bioidentical hormones are used, without achieving the desired results.

In the medical history of these women, we will find that the hormonal crises of life (puberty, pregnancy, monthly cycles) were also problematic, and taking the pill was not suitable either.

Category #2: Women with pre-existing burden

These women are already burdened with estrogens through lifestyle habits, such as visceral fat, obesity, or the consumption of foreign estrogens (xeno-estrogens). This also includes the consumption of conventional meat, fast food, plastic bottles, plastic packaging, and environmental pollution. Therefore, these women often react negatively to bioidentical hormone therapies.

The applied dose of bioidentical hormones is always lower, and women in this category often need a T3 preparation to boost metabolism.

Category #3: Women who missed the time window for hormone replacement therapy

These women survived pre-menopause and early menopause happily and symptom-free but are directly exposed to irreversible ageing diseases. This includes all known chronic diseases.

Bioidentical hormone therapy can only help in terms of improving or stabilizing the disease, and not in terms of healing any more. Unfortunately, many only come when conventional medicine medications don't show the desired effect or when they realize that they aren't getting any regression of their health condition.

This is based on my personal work experience as an expert in bioidentical hormone therapies.

Hormone Therapy in Menopause

Imagine a therapy that gives your body back exactly what it's missing and thus slows down the aging process. This becomes possible through the use of bioidentical hormones in treating menopause, perimenopause, and andropause. Your bones receive protection from osteoporosis, your vessels from arteriosclerosis, your brain from degeneration, and your reproductive organs from atrophy. Additionally, you'll experience increased libido and many other health benefits that result from the correct application of this therapy.

To find the right dosage and avoid risks, laboratory analyses are essential at the beginning of therapy. It's important to understand that bioidentical hormone therapy is not the same as classical hormone replacement therapy or the pill, which is often prescribed without proper control.

• Age
• Symptoms
• The body's ability to metabolize hormones
• Pre-existing conditions
• Medications

What methods with bioidentical hormones are available for menopause and andropause?

There are different methods for using bioidentical hormones in menopause and andropause. Some rely on creams or ointments that are created based on saliva tests.

The prescription of bioidentical hormones is reserved for physicians. Therefore, collaboration with a doctor is necessary if therapists or alternative practitioners wish to offer such therapy.

Another method is the use of oral capsules with estradiol and/or micronized progesterone, as in the Rimkus method. Here, hormone levels in the blood determine the exact dosage. There are established protocols for menopause, andropause, or other hormonal disorders. However, dosages vary depending on the desired results and the blood values achieved.

Additionally, there are advanced versions of the Rimkus method, which are supplemented with therapeutic testosterone or estriol gels, also offered by Dr. Rimkus himself.