You suspect that you have a reproductive hormonal imbalance. When you put all the pieces of the puzzle together, it makes sense. You’re approaching middle age, a time when hormone levels begin to drop for men and women, although it is more pronounced for women. You’ve had symptoms that point to a hormone imbalance. You can’t think of anything else that could make you feel the way that you do. Your doctor has suggested hormonal imbalance testing so you can figure out what to do next. Your main concern is how long will you have to wait for answers.
Will You Need to Wait for Long to Get Your Hormonal Imbalance Test Results?
The good news about hormonal imbalance testing is you could get speedy results. In some cases, you could have your results within a day or two. This especially holds true if your physician’s office or hormone specialist’s facility includes a laboratory. Everything may be done in-house. Even if you have to go to a separate facility for your lab work, everything may be within the same network. You shouldn’t have to wait more than a week to find out if your hormones are making you feel like you are not yourself.
What is Involved in Hormonal Imbalance Testing?
If your physician or hormone replacement specialist has ordered hormonal imbalance testing, you will have blood samples taken at one time. You may need to fast for a set period of time before you have your blood work performed. Your samples will be sent to the lab. At the lab, your blood will be studied closely to check:
- Your thyroid levels
- Enzymes produced in the liver
- Various hormone levels
- Blood sugar levels
Your blood test results will be able to give your doctor or specialist a better picture of what is happening inside your body.
Blood Work is Only One Piece of the Puzzle
Your blood work can provide your hormone specialist with helpful information about your health. If your reproductive hormone levels have dropped significantly, hormone replacement therapy may be your best treatment option. Your hormone specialist will evaluate your health, looking at your weight, vitals, age, and health records. If you have any type of medical condition, you should share that information with your hormone specialist. Surgeries and medications will be taken into consideration as well.
What are Reasons You Could Benefit from Hormone Replacement Therapy
Hormone therapy could help you if you are struggling with low hormone symptoms. If you have exhausted all of your other options, hormone replacement therapy could bring your hormone levels back to where they should be. Reasons you may have low hormone levels include:
- You are approaching middle age
- You are facing early menopause
- You had a full hysterectomy
- Your ovaries were removed
- Cancer treatments caused your hormones to drop
- Medications you are taking affected your hormone levels
- Your hormones have dropped due to a medical condition
Regardless of why you have lower hormone levels, hormone replacement therapy is intended to give you relief from your symptoms.
Why is Hormone Replacement Therapy Effective?
Hormone replacement therapy uses hormones that play the same role as the hormones your body is failing to produce. Your hormone replacement professional will look at your current hormone levels to determine the best dosage for your treatment. Once you begin treatment, your specialist will check in to see how you are feeling. You should begin to notice relief from your symptoms in a couple of weeks after starting treatment. The best results typically are experienced within a three month window of time. If you don’t notice an improvement, you need to contact your specialist. It may mean that your dosage needs to be changed.
Find Out if Hormone Replacement Therapy Will Work for You
Our team of hormone replacement staff members are here to find answers for you. Call our representatives today at (205) 352-9141 to set up your first consultation. A specialist will sit down with you to talk about your concerns, evaluate you, and determine if hormonal imbalance testing is the next step. Let an experienced medical professional be your guide concerning hormonal replacement therapy.
