Manhattan Hormone Therapy for Depression

While experiencing depression may be common on occasion, seeking medical attention may be warranted if the condition persists to the degree that it impacts your life and well-being. While there are many drugs available for treating depression, many of them have serious side effects.

For women and men experiencing depression as they age in tandem with dwindling hormone levels, natural bioidentical hormone replacement therapy may lift depression symptoms and let you enjoy life once more. If Manhattan hormone therapy for depression is right for you, an accomplished doctor could prescribe a custom-tailored bioidentical hormone replacement therapy regimen based on your specific needs.

Hormone Therapy for Depression in Women

Women are more likely to suffer from depression than men, and hormones are a large factor in why this is so. While vaginal dryness, hot flashes, night sweats, and other side effects of menopause may be better known, depression is also common after the ovaries stop producing estrogen and menopause begins.

Studies have shown that women in perimenopause—the pre-menopausal years in which estrogen production slows but has not completely stopped—are four times more likely to develop symptoms of depression. This same trend also typically continues into menopause.

Hormone Therapy for Depression in Men

While males do not go through as dramatic a change as menopause, they may experience a similar condition known as andropause in midlife. This loss of testosterone as men age might contribute to depression, and men with low testosterone levels are four times as likely to experience depression than those with testosterone levels within the normal range.

Men may also have different depressive symptoms than women, perhaps most noticeably feelings of anger. Men trying to cope with depression are also more likely to turn to alcohol or drugs than their female counterparts. This is still a danger for both sexes. Some symptoms of depression in males are also symptoms of low testosterone. These symptoms may include a loss of libido, fatigue, and moodiness.

Testosterone is not the only hormone that may affect depression in men. Low thyroid levels are another common culprit, but bioidentical hormone therapy may help with this as much as it could with low testosterone.

What a Doctor Could Do for You

After a thorough physical examination and medical history, the doctor would measure a patient’s hormone levels via blood, urine and saliva testing. Patients are carefully monitored once treatment begins, and hormone dosages are adjusted based on levels and symptom relief.

In contrast to synthetic hormones, bioidentical hormones are the same on the molecular level as the hormones produced by a patient’s own body, whether customized to replace estrogen, testosterone, or thyroid hormones. Bioidentical hormones are available in pill, patch, cream, gel, injectable and transdermal pellet form, and the doctor could discuss with each patient the best way to deliver bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.

Seeing a Hormone Therapy Doctor in Manhattan

If you or a loved one are suffering from depression and would like to know whether bioidentical hormone replacement therapy may help with symptom relief, call Dr. Edward Jacobson’s Manhattan office today to set up a consultation. With Dr. Jacobson’s help, you could make an informed decision regarding treatment of depression and other symptoms of menopause or andropause.