Hot Flushes & Night Sweats
Flushed bursts of heat, which are frequently succeeded by chills and sweats, are the most frequent symptoms of the loss of oestrogen - especially in perimenopause and menopause itself.
Hormone
Replacement
Therapy
Offering evidence-based Hormone Replacement Therapy for Men and women in Australia. Personalised to your hormones, and the way you want to feel.
Telehealth Australia-wide Discreet delivery
The symptoms that could indicate that you require HRT.
- Hot flushes and night sweats
- Poor sleep & fatigue
- Mood changes & anxiety
- Foggy head with memory impairments
- Low libido
- Vaginal dryness or vaginal discomposure
- Pain and weakness in the joints and muscles
- Unexplained weight changes
WHAT IS HRT
What is Hormone Replacement Therapy?
The use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) also known as replacement therapy hormones (MHT) or menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is a medically monitored treatment that replaces hormones that the body synthesizes in diminishing amounts as a result of ageing, menopause, surgery, or hormonal disorders.
Oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone are the major hormones of most HRT programmes. Both are vital well beyond their reproductive capabilities, they control mood, bone density, cardiovascular well-being, thinking, sleep, sex drive and composition. The impacts may be far-reaching when their levels drop.
As a hormone replacement therapy, Longevity Clinic will not value a type of prescription as one fits all. To create a treatment plan that fits your particular hormone profile, health history and goals, our clinicians will start with an in-depth health analysis and hormone testing to create an image of what is going on in your body.
Get to know what you can do RECOGNISING THE SIGNS
What are the symptoms that indicate that you need hormone replacement therapy?
The decrease of hormones is not instant - that is why so many individuals devote years of their life when they explain their symptoms by stress, insomnia or even by old age. These are real symptoms, biological in nature and they can be treated. These are the most typical symptoms that aging hormones could be in action.
Disrupted Sleep & Fatigue
The inability to sleep, frequent awakening or not falling asleep exhausted are closely associated with the changes in oestrogen, progesterone and cortisol. Loss of sleep in turn worsens other symptoms.
Cognitive Slowing and Dementia
Losses of concentration, forgetfulness or a sense of mental slowness may be an indication of the influence of oestrogen on cognitive functioning and neurobiological structure - a symptom that many people can ignore.
Mood Changes & Anxiety
Inexplicable irritability, depressed state, anxiousness or emotional responsiveness that seems to be disproportionate are directly connected to the changing or dwindling hormone levels.
Low Libido
A great reduction in sexual desire, arousal, or satisfaction is often associated with decreasing testosterone - in women and in men - and with low oestrogen in women.
Unexplained Weight Gain
In particular, the gain of weight, which cannot be attributed to changes in diet or exercise, can be induced by the hormonal changes in metabolism, cortisol, and insulin levels.
Bone Weakness and Joint Pains
The role of oestrogen on bone density is protective. When the levels become small, the resistance to osteoporosis occurs - and joint pains become more frequent, especially in hands and knees.
Dryness in the Vagina & Changes in the Urine
Genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) - development of vaginal dryness, pain, urinary fretfulness, and frequent infections - can be directly explained by oestrogen loss and is dramatically treatable.
Note: Not every one of these symptoms is a certainty of a hormonal cause. Before prescribing any kind of treatment, our clinicians rely on detailed blood tests and health evaluation to determine the cause of your symptoms. When you are having some of these symptoms on a regular basis, then it is worth investigating.
TREATMENT OPTIONS
Hormone Replacement Therapy Classifications
Hormone replacement therapy is not one treatment - it involves a variety of formulations, modes of delivery, and combinations of hormones. The correct treatment varies with your symptoms, health history, and personal desires.
Oestrogen Therapy
This is the most prevalent type of HRT amongst menopausal women. Oestrogen may be administered orally as pills, as patches, gels, sprays or vaginal preparations - each having various absorption characteristics and depending on health history which one to use.
Combined HRT
Oestrogen with progesterone (or synthetic progestogen) is normally advised to women who had not undergone a hysterectomy. Progesterone helps to shield the uterine lining, and it helps in sleep, mood, and general hormonal balance.
Testosterone Therapy
Indicated in both sexes, testosterone replacement therapy treats low sex drive, depression, muscle wasting, aging brain, and mood. Small doses in women may work wonders; with men, it is the foundation of equipment to combat andropause.
Bioidentical HRT
It is because bioidentical hormones are chemically identical, like hormones produced in the body. Bioidentical HRT in its compound form can be made to exact dosages that are non-existent in standard dosages - however, this must be under expert supervision.
Topical & Transdermal
Hormones are delivered into the skin with patches, gels, creams, and sprays and avoid first-pass metabolism in the liver. It is frequently chosen when women have some cardiovascular risk factors because it is potentially safer than oral forms.
Local / Vaginal HRT
Genitourinary symptoms, dried vaginal tissue, urinary problems, vaginal pain - are treated with low-dose oestrogen, applied directly to the vaginal tissue, with little systemic uptake. Suitable to females who do not want to take systemic HRT but seek to have specific relief.
WHO CAN BENEFIT
Women and Men Hormone Replacement Therapy
HRT is not a treatment of women only. Unlike most often related to menopause, falling hormones do not concern women alone - more often than not, low testosterone in men is termed andropause or low T.
Hormone Therapy in Females
Some of the greatest changes in hormones among women are seen in the premenopause and menopause stages where oestrogen and progesterone levels drop significantly. However, women can experience hormonal imbalance even at any age - early 30s and upwards.
Management of perimenopause and menopause.
- Surgical menopause (following hysterectomy or oophorectomy).
- Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI)
- Poor energy and libido as a result of low testosterone.
- Osteoporosis prevention
- Hormonal mood disorders
Testosterone Therapy in Men
Men experience a yearly decrease in testosterone levels of about 1-2 percent beginning at the age of mid-30s. Once such a decrease becomes clinically important - a phenomenon also known as andropause - quality of life can be seriously affected.
- Low testosterone (hypogonadism)
- Andropause symptoms - loss of drive, fatigue, poor mood.
- Body fat and loss of muscles.
- Low testosterone procedural impotence.
- Sleep deprivation and decrease of cognitive functions.
- Reduced bone density
HOW IT WORKS
Runway to Longevity Clinics HRT
Through our six steps in the work process, by the time you received your first consultation up to continuous services, everything would not have been rushed, guessed, or left out.
Discovery Consultation
Talk to a clinician regarding your goals, history, and symptoms. No hurry, no dialogues.
Health Assessment
Proper examination of medical history, lifestyle, and health condition.
Hormone Testing
Blood testing to chart your precise hormonal levels oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone and thyroid levels among others.
Individualized Treatment Plan
An individual dosage of HRT tailored to your biology, not the book average.
Ongoing Review
Regular check ups to assess your response to correct the dosages as your body adjusts.
Annual Screening
Annual tests and scans to check long-term health, effectiveness, and continued safety.
SAFETY & OUR APPROACH
Is Hormone Replacement Therapy Safe?
The HRT has a very complex reputation among the population - it was formed by one study at the beginning of the 2000s, the results of which were later significantly changed. The evidence in favor of the strengths of HRT is overwhelming in most healthy individuals, especially in those who began its use within 10 years of menopause or before 60 years of age.
In Longevity Clinics, all treatment choices are determined by qualified Australian medical practitioners, who take your risk profile and the possible good against the bad. One cannot give a blanket recommendation either.
- No prescription until a detailed examination of health.
- Minimum amount of dose that was effective in relieving the symptoms.
- The route of administration is by personal risk factors.
- Safety and effectiveness monitoring on a regular basis.
- Complete analysis of personal and family medical history.
- Informed consent, you realize your choices completely.
You are about to discover the truth about HRT
Make a no-pressure discovery appointment with an appointment specialist. We will discuss your symptoms, clarify your questions and lay out your choices - easily and transparently.
Book a Discovery Call Or call us: +61 468 155 553 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Hormone Replacement Therapy
These are the questions that are asked most by our clinicians. In case yours is not here, make a call and we shall talk to you on the same.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a therapeutic therapy used to replace or supplement hormones, which are mainly oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone, whose concentrations have decreased as a result of normal ageing or menopause or surgery or hormonal disease. It is taken in different routes such as tablets, patches, gels, sprays, creams, and vaginal preparations. This aim is to alleviate the symptoms of hormone depletion and, in a way, to minimize the adverse health outcomes in the long term, i.e., osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.
The most frequent symptoms that you might be a candidate of HRT is continuous hot flushes and night sweats, sleeping problems, unexplainable fatigue, mood alteration (anxiety, irritability, or low mood), brain fog and impaired concentration, loss of libido, dry or aching vagina, and unexplainable weight gain especially in the abdominal area. The symptoms of it in men are fatigue, loss of muscles, lack of motivation, lack of concentration, and sexual dysfunction. These symptoms do not imply a hormonal etiology, but they should be evaluated appropriately.
The majority of the individuals experience at least some improvement in 2-4 weeks of HRT use - especially in sleep, hot flushes, and mood. Besides this treatment, full benefit is not achieved until 3-6 months when hormones stabilise and the body adapts. The first few months are also likely to require dose adjustments. In this time, our clinicians check your response keenly to help in fine tuning your treatment.
Yes. The process at Longevity Clinics, including the offline consultation and the province-wide follow-up, is through telehealth, and therefore, our services can be availed to both women and men in Australia. There is also an option of conducting blood test referrals at the local pathology collection centre and the approved prescription is sent to your house discreetly.
HRT is thought to be safe and its effects to be more beneficial than not in a vast majority of healthy women and men with no contraindications especially when taken at an early age of hormonal loss. Risks depend on how they are formulated, how they are delivered and personal health background. As an example, transdermal (absorbed through the skin) oestrogen poses less risk of blood clots in comparison to oral ones. Some forms of Hormone Therapy may not be suitable to women who have a history of hormone sensitive cancers, inexplicable vaginal bleeding or those with some heart related issues. No recommendation will be made by our clinicians without discussing your entire health history.
Bioidentical hormones have the same structure as the one produced by your body when you are healthy (Unlike synthetic hormones, which are similar, but not the same). Numerous currently used, TGA approved HRT drugs already incorporate bioidentical hormones (including micronised progesterone and oestradiol). Compounded bioidentical HRT are customised products prepared by compounding pharmacists - useful where there are no standard preparations with accurate dosages. Our clinicians can recommend the most use case-apt strategy to use.
It depends on a case-to-case basis. Other individuals take HRT temporarily to treat acute menopausal symptoms and then withdraw when the symptoms pass. Other ones are useful in the long run - especially bone protection, cardiovascular health, and continued quality of life. Recent research lacks a strict maximum time frame in the majority of women who have no contraindications. The choice is personal and done once every now and then in collaboration with your clinician.
Yes. One of our men's health programs is testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) and wider hormonal support of men in general. In case you have low testosterone symptoms, such as fatigue, lack of libido, muscle loss, mood swings, or memory loss, we can measure your hormone levels and consult you on possible therapies.
IN-DEPTH GUIDE
Hormone Replacement Therapy: An Australian Guide
One of the most studied, controversial, and misconceived treatments in contemporary medicine has been hormone replacement therapy - more often abbreviated as HRT. It is one of the most effective instruments of those who are maneuvering their way through menopause, of men grappling with the consequences of unrolling testosterone, and of everyone whose quality of life is being slowly smoothed away by the passage of the years.
But even after decades of proving this true, myths prevail. HRT is still avoided by many Australians due to old research conducted or poor information. This guide will provide the basics: what is HRT, what are the signs that you may need it, what are the available options and what can you actually expect of the treatment.
Learning About Replacement Therapy Hormones
Replacement therapy hormones are the labels of the substances of the HRT bioidentical, or synthetic, versions of hormones that are no longer produced in the optimal amounts in your body. The most frequently substituted hormones are:
- Oestrogen (oestradiol): Oestrogen is the first female sex hormone that maintains the menstrual cycle, bone density, maintains cardiovascular health, mood, cognition and skin. It is the domestic cause of menopausal symptoms because of its decline.
- Progesterone: combination with oestrogen helps to normalize the menstrual cycle, promote sleep quality, and keep the uterine lining healthy. Reduction of progesterone is closely associated with impairment of sleep and mood instability.
- Testosterone: Testosterone is found in women as well as men and affects the body of libido, energy levels, muscle mass, bone density and cognitive functioning. In women, only minor decreases can be accompanied by great symptoms; in men, its decrease is the biggest cause of andropause.
- DHEA and other androgens: Male hormones that assist the production of testosterone and oestrogen, which can be tackled in comprehensive hormonal optimisation.
Hormone Replacement Therapy in Menopause
HRT is the most frequently used treatment in the treatment of perimenopause and menopause - the decades in which the levels of oestrogen and progesterone are lower, around the mid 40s and above. This is a much more discontinuous transition to many women than they expected.
Hot flushes in themselves afflict as many as 75 percent of menopausal women. However, the less-spoken symptoms - brain fog, sleep disturbances, joint aches, anxiety, a vague feeling that one does not feel like oneself can be just as or more incapacitating. HRT deals with these symptoms in the direct way of replacing the hormones that caused them.
The Australasian Menopause Society (AMS) is at the stage that the best available treatment of vasomotor symptoms is HRT, which is suitable in the majority of healthy women of the age of less than 60 years old or within the 10 years of menopause - where the benefit obviously outweighs the risk.
Hrt Younger Women: Premature Menopause And Perimenopause
Hormone replacement therapy does not support only 50-year-old women. Urinary Tract Infection - The premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) - menopause that starts before age 40 - is identified in around 1 of every 100 women and has serious health consequences in case there is no treatment. In these women, HRT is highly suggested not only as a symptom suppressant, but also in terms of bone density, heart conditions and mental abilities.
Hormonal support can also go a long way with women in perimenopause; the transition years between having irregular cycles and having them completely stopped. Most clinicians have realised that the best place to start using HRT is at perimenopause and not at full menopause.
Men Testosterone Replacement Therapy
The process of testosterone lowering in men, a phenomenon commonly known as andropause is now largely accepted as a clinical complication and should be treated. Testosterone in men decays gradually unlike the comparatively quick reduction witnessed among women during menopause which is about 1-2 per cent per year since the mid 30s. By the period when the symptoms are evident, the levels can significantly decline.
Men can receive testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) in any of multiple forms - gels, injections, patches, and implants - and when prescribed correctly and balanced, it is capable of showing significant effects in terms of energy, mood, mass, libido, and cognitive clarity.
HRT in Australia: Availability of Therapy
In Australia, hormone replacement therapy is based on a prescription given by a qualified Australian medical practitioner. TGA approved HRT drugs are sold in a typical pharmacy and bioidentical hormones are either compounded prescription-only by a specialist compounding pharmacy.
Longevity Clinics offers telehealth consultations on HRT and continuous management of patients in all Australian states and territories. The first step of our treatment is a thorough consultation, hormone blood test, and a customized treatment plan, which can be handled online, and drugs delivered to you.
Health warning: The data on this page is provided only for educational purposes and it is not medical care information. Hormone replacement therapy is a medical procedure which one needs to embark on only after consulting an experienced medical practitioner. Individual suitability varies. Always seek the advice of your doctor or one of our clinicians regarding your health care.