Men and women considering hormone replacement therapy are often at a loss as to where to begin. They may run the idea past their family physician and find that he or she doesn't have time to talk about it, doesn't know much about it or is not up-to-date with current thinking on the subject. So the first step in hormone replacement therapy is finding a physician who is knowledgeable concerning bioidentical hormone replacement therapy and is sympathetic to the mental and physical issues that result from deficient hormone levels.

Step two involves your initial appointment with a BHRT specialist, in which he or she will evaluate your medical history, medication use, plus your physical, mental, and emotional symptoms. Your physician may also order blood tests to properly evaluate the levels of several hormones (and possibly other factors). If blood tests were ordered, you will be asked to schedule a follow-up appointment during which your physician will review your results and let you know where your body stands hormonally.

If your physician determines that you are deficient in one or more hormones, you will be prescribed bioidentical hormone treatments in the form of creams, gels, pellets, patches or oral formulations. Many of these prescriptions can be filled at any drug store, but some may need to be filled by a compounding pharmacy. Other recommendations may involve over-the-counter preparations, such as the hormones DHEA and pregnenolone, which are available as nutritional supplements at many natural food stores or via mail-order supplement companies. Thus, the third step in your program is obtaining your prescribed bioidentical hormone treatments, plus the recommended supplements, and using them as directed.

Your physician will want to re-evaluate you in several months to determine if the program he or she recommended for you is doing its job. This may require repeat blood testing which will reveal whether the amount of hormone replacement therapies you are using is adequate. Your physician may need to adjust the amount of specific hormones you are using according to your symptoms or the results of your tests. This process will need to be repeated regularly over time, due to the changing nature of our body and its requirements as we age. This comprises the fourth and final step of your biological hormone replacement journey.

Forever Health invites you to take this transformative and rewarding journey that will increase your knowledge, well-being, and longevity. These four small steps, which can be taken by almost anyone, equal one giant leap in your journey to optimal health and wellness.