Menopause Management | Santa Fe

Are you experiencing hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings? Do you walk into a room and forget what you were coming to get? Are you unable to find the right words in conversation? Are you eating the same way and gaining abdominal weight? Just as you are finding your stride, MENOPAUSE!

Dr. Martinez has been treating menopause for over twenty years. It is that level of experience that you are getting when you come in for your initial consultation. During your initial visit, we will perform a comprehensive health history and discuss current symptoms, health risks, concerns and lifestyle goals.

There are many options for treatment of menopause and its symptoms – with pros and cons to each. This can be overwhelming for many women and Dr. Martinez will review and explain your options and help you make the right decision based on your goals and health history. Live Well Functional Medicine in Santa Fe, NM offers women a wide range of safe, effective and natural menopause treatments including: bioidentical hormone replacement, plant-based phytoestrogens, revolutionary new ThermiVa radiofrequency vaginal revitalization, and much more.

These life-changing treatments can alleviate the symptoms of menopause, restore sexual function and enjoyment, and even help eliminate embarrassing conditions related to menopause such as urinary incontinence. Every menopause treatment plan is individually customized for the patient’s unique needs, empowering each woman to take control of her menopausal health – so she can enjoy an excellent quality of life now and for decades to come.

If you would like to restore your health, energy, sexual enjoyment and quality of life during or after menopause, schedule a consultation with Dr. Lynore Martinez at Live Well Functional Medicine in Santa Fe, NM today.

Menopause Management
Santa Fe, NM

There are many options for treatment of symptoms with pros and cons to each. This can be overwhelming for many women and Dr. Martinez will review and explain your options and help you make the right decision based on your goals and health history. Live Well Functional Medicine in Santa Fe, NM offers women a wide range of safe, effective and natural menopause treatments including: bioidentical hormone replacement, plant-based phytoestrogens, revolutionary new ThermiVa radiofrequency vaginal revitalization, and much more.

These life-changing treatments can alleviate the symptoms of menopause, restore sexual function and enjoyment, and even help eliminate embarrassing conditions related to menopause such as urinary incontinence. And every menopause treatment plan is individually customized, empowering each woman to take control of her menopausal health – so she can enjoy an excellent quality of life now and for decades to come.

Menopause Hormone Replacement | Santa Fe

Bioidentical
Hormones

Many women prefer a bio-identical option for hormone replacement therapy (HRT). “Bio-identical” means we replace hormones with the exact same hormone that your own body produced prior to menopause – derived from 100% natural, plant-based sources. Dr. Martinez’ level of experience with hormone replacement therapy sets Live Well Functional Medicine apart, in that we are able to optimize benefits while minimizing the risk of side effects.

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Vaginal
Estrogen

HRT in the form of a patch, pellet, gel or cream, may not relive some vaginal symptoms. And, some women only have vaginal symptoms and do not need systemic estrogen therapy. Vaginal estrogen creams or inserts are a lower dose of hormone given locally to improve vaginal mucosal thinning and drying that can lead to painful intercourse and urinary symptoms.

Vaginal estrogen therapy does not increase breast or uterine cancer risk.

Plant-Based
Phytoestrogens

When symptoms of menopause are very mild, we can also use plant-based phytoestrogens to improve hot flushes and night sweats. Estrovera^® is a phytoestrogen from the Siberian Rhubarb plant that has been shown to reduce hot flashes in up to 70% of patients! Estrovera’s key ingredient has been used safely and effectively to treat the symptoms of menopause in women for over 20 years and is supported by substantial clinical studies.

Hormone
Pellets

Hormone pellets are small cylinders of medication that are custom compounded with differing doses of estrogen and testosterone – and then inserted under the skin where they last for 3 to 5 months. The body absorbs the hormones into the blood stream, and uses them only as your body needs them. Time-released hormone pellets offer much more consistent dosing, and don’t rely on daily pills or creams, or changing out patches every few days.

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Other Natural Menopause Treatments

Vaginal Revitalization

Non-surgical ThermiVa radiofrequency vaginal revitalization delivers relief from vaginal dryness & painful sex for menopausal women. ThermiVa also tightens loose vaginal walls, increases lubrication & enhances sexual sensation – for improved satisfaction for you and your partner.

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Low-Dose AntiDepressants

Brisdelle is a low dose anti-depressant that is FDA approved for treatment of menopausal symptoms and may be the best options for patients who are unable to take hormones due to hormone related cancers or side effects of hormones including migraines.

Urinary Incontinence

Revolutionary new ThermiVa is a non-invasive, non-surgical radiofrequency treatment that can reduce stress urinary incontinence in women by rejuvenating the pelvic tissues, nerves and muscles that support bladder functioning. All with no downtime!

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Menopause Doctor Santa Fe

What Is Menopause?

Menopause can be a frustrating time of life for some women, for others, no symptoms at all. As frustrating puberty and the onset of hormonal function is, menopause and the decline of hormonal function in the ovary is just as disconcerting.

And just as teen girls can have irregular cycles and mood swings entering into puberty due to hormonal imbalance, these are the same symptoms that herald the onset of perimenopause.

Menopause and perimenopausal symptoms can be confusing. Many women don’t necessarily associate their symptoms (increased migraines, weight gain, foggy thinking, muscle and joint aches and pains) with hormone imbalance.

Menopause is marked by a full year without a menstrual period. Average age of menopause is 51, however, the age range is broad, from 42-60. Early menopause in younger women is termed premature ovarian failure.

Symptoms begin in the perimenopausal time frame and include bleeding irregularities including heavy bleeding, breakthrough bleeding between cycles, and irregular periods with skipped cycles. This is due to the hormone imbalance occurring as the ovary produces erratic levels of estrogen and progesterone. Additional symptoms are related to the irregular rise and fall of hormones including migraine headaches, irritability, depression and anxiety. Many women experience foggy thinking and memory loss. Lack of estrogen can result in lack of sex drive (libido) and vaginal dryness causing painful intercourse.

Menopause (when you have had no periods for one year) signals that the majority of ovarian function has stopped and hormonal production of estrogen and testosterone is significantly decreased.

Many women will then notice increased abdominal weight gain. Fat cells trigger a conversion of a weak estrogen to a stronger estrogen, so this is the bodies way of increasing estrogen production. In addition, as we get older, we start to lose muscle mass. Muscle burns more calories than fat so without changing diet or exercise, we will have a reduced resting metabolic rate and burn fewer calories and this will lead to subtle weight gain over time.

Menopause Treatments

Determining the best menopause treatment can be very confusing for patients! This can be overwhelming for many women. But when you come to Live Well Functional Medicine in Santa Fe, NM, Dr. Martinez will review and explain your options and help you make the right decision based on your goals and health history. Live Well Functional Medicine in Santa Fe, NM offers women a wide range of safe, effective and natural menopause treatments including: bioidentical hormone replacement pellets, revolutionary new ThermiVa radiofrequency vaginal revitalization, and much more.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can be an excellent treatment for managing the symptoms of menopause. HRT has been associated with health benefits in the WHI study including reduced hip fracture rates and a reduction in risk for colon cancer. There are numerous additional benefits to HRT including:
• Improved libido (sex drive)
• Better skin quality & improved appearance
• Clarity of thought & improved memory
• Improved bone health
• Optimal sleep & stable mood

But there are so many opinions about the safety of hormone replacement therapy based on complicated information and data both on the internet, and from physicians that have limited experience in hormone therapy. Our patient’s safety is our first concern at Functional Medicine in Santa Fe, NM!

For many women we use transdermal methods of administration for estrogen including patches, pellets, creams and gels to minimize the risk of blood clot and stroke as this avoids the first pass effects on the liver. Other women only have vaginal symptoms and do not need systemic estrogen therapy. Vaginal estrogen creams or inserts are a lower dose of hormone given locally to improve vaginal mucosal thinning and drying that can lead to painful intercourse and urinary symptoms.

Dr. Martinez will take the time to help you determine which menopause treatment is the safest, most effective and convenient for your body, your unique symptoms, and your individual lifestyle.

Menopause Management | Santa Fe