is lasik surgery something for you to consider?

If you're a woman who is suffering a lot of symptoms during menopause, starting hormone replacement therapy can really help. These days, many doctors prescribe their patients bioidentical hormones, which are lab-produced hormones that are indistinguishable from the ones your body makes naturally. This approach comes with a lower risk of side effects. However, there are still a few things you should know as you prepare to begin bioidentical hormone replacement in menopause.

Your dose or hormones may be different from those a friend is prescribed.

If you compare your prescription with a friend's, don't be surprised if they are different. Most bioidentical hormone supplements are compounded at a compounding pharmacy. In other words, they are specially formulated for your needs. You may need slightly more estrogen or progesterone than another woman. Or, you may only need one of these hormones, not both. Trust that your doctor has formulated the right dose for you, which may not be the right dose for someone else.

You may not see a change right away.

Women often expect hormone replacement supplements to work like aspirin and kick in within twenty or thirty minutes. But this is not quite how bioidentical hormones work. Some women do notice an improvement in various symptoms as soon as they start taking hormones, but it's more common for improvements to happen slowly over the course of weeks. You may slowly notice that your hot flashes become less frequent before going away completely. Or, you may notice that you feel less moody after a few days and that after a month, your mood swings have ceased. Try not to evaluate how well the hormones are working until at least a month has passed.

You may have some side effects at first.

In adjusting to the bioidentical hormones, you may also experience some unwanted side effects at first. For instance, you may find that your memory seems less sharp or that your energy level falls. Don't worry too much about these side effects. They usually only last a few days or a week, and they should dissipate once your body adjusts to the new hormones. If they are still bothering you after two weeks, talk to your doctor. They may need to adjust your dose.

With this information in hand, you are now more ready to begin bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. It can be really transformational for women who are struggling in menopause.

For more information on bioidentical hormone replacement, contact a company like Southern Integrative & Environmental Medical.