Menopause Treatments

Why Menopause Care Matters

Unmanaged hormonal changes can disrupt daytime and nighttime activities and leave you feeling drained and uncomfortable. You shouldn’t have to suffer from the symptoms of menopause and the changes it can cause in your body shape, especially that growing stomach. We believe that support during this time is important so you can not only get through this transition with a sense of control and improved quality of life, but also thrive.

How We Diagnose Hormonal Imbalances

We start with a review of your symptoms, medical history and lifestyle factors. Bloodwork and other diagnostic tests give us a clearer picture of your hormone levels. Hormonal fluctuations often overlap with other conditions, so we take the time to rule out additional causes. Once we have the data, we explain your results, discuss the next steps and create a personalized treatment plan for your situation.

What Treatments Are Available for Menopause?

The team at Balanced Medical Solutions offers the latest treatments for hormone imbalances that result from menopause, perimenopause and postmenopause. After carefully evaluating your condition and lab results, and after reviewing your medical history, we create a personalized treatment plan that may include:

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT)

Bioidentical hormones are sourced from natural ingredients and are chemically and molecularly identical to the hormones your body produces. Unlike traditional hormone replacements, which are derived from animal and synthetic sources, bioidentical hormones come from plants like yams and soy. Click here to access our patient education on BHRT.

Progesterone Replacement Therapy (PRT)

If you haven’t undergone a hysterectomy and still have your uterus, PRT may be a beneficial supplement to estrogen replacement. PRT protects your uterus from changes that may result from taking estrogen alone. Patients who want a more complete hormone plan can explore progesterone replacement therapy (PRT) to increase comfort and balance.

Lifestyle Changes

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle has a significant impact on how you feel during and after menopause. The team at Balanced Medical Solutions may advise you on lifestyle changes like eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly and reducing stress. Our recommendations for lifestyle changes for menopause, including a healthy diet and exercise, focus on habits that are realistic and sustainable. We work towards optimizing your health, not just improving symptoms.

Climax PRP Shots for Women

Because menopause can cause problems such as low libido, low lubrication and vaginal laxity, directly addressing the vaginal tissues can help. Climax PRP shots use your body’s own platelet-rich plasma to support increased sensitivity, natural lubrication and more satisfying intimate experiences. This treatment involves a quick blood draw and a targeted injection near the clitoral and vaginal tissues to stimulate cellular repair and enhance blood flow. Climax PRP shots can address concerns like low arousal, difficulty reaching orgasm or discomfort during sex.

Peptide Therapy for Menopause

Peptides are short chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds, and depending on their structure, they can act as hormones, signaling molecules, enzymes, antimicrobials or structural components in the body. As we age and hormone levels shift, the body’s natural peptide activity can slow down, and you may start experiencing fatigue and slow recovery, along with changes in your body composition.

At Balanced Medical Solutions, our peptide therapy can complement other treatments like hormone replacement therapy (HRT) by supporting natural processes like energy production, tissue repair, lean muscle production and sleep quality. We will select specific peptides and doses based on your symptoms and lab results. Peptides are administered either through subcutaneous injections or oral pills.

To learn more about how to manage the symptoms of menopause and improve your health, book an evaluation now.

What Are the Symptoms of Menopause?

Fluctuating or declining levels of estrogen and progesterone can cause a wide range of physical, emotional, and cognitive symptoms. Common symptoms of perimenopause and menopause include:

• Hot flashes: Hot flashes create sudden warmth, flushing, and discomfort that can interrupt daily activities.
• Night sweats: Night sweats can disrupt sleep and leave you feeling tired throughout the day.
• Weight gain: Many patients notice changes in body composition, especially weight gain around the abdomen. We also offer weight loss solutions that support metabolic balance.
• Mood swings: Mood swings may create irritability or emotional sensitivity that affects your routine.
• Memory loss: Hormonal changes can affect concentration and short-term memory.
• Difficulty sleeping: Difficulty sleeping often stems from nighttime temperature shifts, stress, or changing hormones.
• Decreased desire for sex (libido): Our low libido menopause treatments in the Bay Area help increase sexual desire, improve comfort, and enhance intimacy.
• Pain during sex: Vaginal dryness and reduced elasticity may contribute to discomfort during intercourse.

If menopause symptoms are causing problems in your life, call Balanced Medical Solutions or book an appointment online today.

Menopause and Cognitive Health

The brain fog, forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating that come with menopause can be some of the most distressing experiences. These symptoms are real and have a biological basis. Estrogen is involved in how the brain processes information, supports memory and regulates mood, so when levels fluctuate and decline, you may feel less sharp than you did before. You may start to lose your train of thought mid-sentence or struggle to recall a familiar word, and you may have to work harder to stay focused.

You may also find yourself having to rely on a planner or note-taking, even though you used to be able to hold all of this information in your head before. Restoring hormone balance can help clear this fog and make it easier for you to focus and remember things again.

Menopause and Skin and Hair Changes

The same hormonal shifts that affect your sleep and mood can impact your skin and hair. As estrogen declines, your skin produces less collagen and natural oil and can begin to feel thin and dry, with a loss of firmness and elasticity. Changes can also take place in your hair, including thinning at the crown and a slower growth cycle. The hair may have a different texture and be more prone to dehydration. Restoring hormonal balance through BHRT can help support your body so it can produce healthier hair and have firmer, more elastic skin with a better texture.

How Menopause Affects Long-Term Health

Menopause is a much longer process than many people realize, and it starts long before symptoms become uncomfortable. Estrogen starts to decline in a woman’s mid-40s during a phase called perimenopause. During this period, cycles can become more irregular but don’t stop altogether, and there can be some symptoms like hot flashes and mood swings. At around age 50, there is a sharper drop in estrogen that results in periods stopping entirely, and symptoms may become more severe.

Menopause is uncomfortable in the moment, but it can also cause changes that impact your health in the long-term. A drop in estrogen causes bone density to decrease and raises the risk of fractures later in life. It can also impact your cardiovascular health and make heart disease more likely. Your metabolism can slow and make weight management more difficult, and your skin, joints and muscles may respond differently to your usual routine. Addressing hormonal balance early can help to moderate some of these long-term effects of menopause and decrease the risk of illnesses caused by weight gain and osteoporosis.

What to Expect at Your First Visit

Your first visit is built around getting to know you and learning about your symptoms and how they are affecting your life. After a warm welcome, you will complete all of your intake paperwork, covering your health history, current symptoms, health goals and any other treatments you have tried. You will sit down with someone from our team for a relaxed conversation about your medical history, symptoms and goals. If you are a good candidate, you will learn about your options and what to expect moving forward.

We will draw blood during this first visit so we can test your hormone levels and 40+ bio and health markers that we feel are important to get a good understanding of our situation. Lab results usually come back within 5 business days. Most first visits take around an hour, and you’ll walk out with good information and a sense of direction. Some patients come to us after being dismissed by other medical professionals, and our goal is for you to feel heard and to leave knowing there is a plan in place for feeling better.

How Often Will I Need Follow-Up Visits?

The frequency of your follow-up visits will depend on where you are in your treatment. Visits will be more frequent at the start of the process while we fine-tune the dosage and make sure your body is responding well. Once your hormones are balanced and stable, check-ins can become less frequent, and you can settle into a routine for monitoring and adjustments. Because we offer complimentary follow-up visits for life, you won’t have to weigh the cost of coming in against your need for continued support.

BHRT vs. Estrogen Patches: What’s the Difference?

Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) uses plant-based hormones that are structurally identical to those naturally produced by the human body. BHRT can be custom-compounded and dosed based on your lab results and specific symptoms.

Estrogen patches deliver one type of hormone at a fixed dose, while BHRT includes a microdose of testosterone, which women also need. Unlike a one-size-fits-all approach, bioidentical therapy is typically customized to a woman’s individual hormone levels and symptoms, allowing for a more balanced restoration of both estrogen and testosterone. This matters because testosterone plays a key role in energy, libido, mood, and muscle tone – areas that estrogen alone may not fully address. In addition, bioidentical hormones are structurally identical to those the body naturally produces, which may support more natural metabolism and utilization. By addressing multiple hormonal pathways instead of just one, BHRT can provide a more comprehensive and symptom-targeted approach to hormone optimization.

Furthermore, the estrogen patch adhesive can also sometimes irritate the skin, and the absorption rate may vary based on activity level, body composition, and placement. Patches do not always address the full spectrum of symptoms. They also require frequent replacement and strict placement rotation, which can be inconvenient. BHRT is available as a topical cream or small implant (AKA a “pellet”) that lasts 3-6 months.

Why We Recommend BHRT

• Customized hormone balance: This treatment allows us to precisely adjust hormones for you and is formulated and adjusted based on lab results and symptoms.
• Better symptom relief: When your hormones are balanced based on your body’s actual needs, menopausal symptom relief from weight gain, hot flashes, mood shifts, and fatigue is often more noticeable and sustainable.
• Includes multiple hormones: BHRT addresses a wider range of symptoms with more options to choose from.
• Supports long-term wellness: Balancing hormones with BHRT may help you maintain better energy, focus, libido, vitality, and physical comfort during and after menopause.

We offer hormone replacement therapy and menopause care that focuses on personalization, clear communication, monitoring and helping you feel more stable through hormonal changes.

How BHRT Is Delivered

There is no one right way to deliver bioidentical hormones. The delivery method will depend on your lifestyle and preferences, as well as how your body responds to the treatments. We work to make sure the treatment fits comfortably into your routine. The two most common delivery methods are:

Creams

Topical creams are hormone-balancing products that are applied to the skin every day to allow the hormones to be absorbed gradually. With creams, we can fine-tune your dose with each visit and adjust as your needs change. Creams are a good fit for patients who want a non-invasive option and are able to keep up with a new daily routine.

Pellets

Pellets are tiny hormone implants about the size of a grain of rice that are placed beneath the skin during an in-office procedure. We make a small opening in the skin of the hip or buttocks and place the pellet in the fat layer. Once in place, the pellet releases a steady, consistent dose of the desired hormone/s for three to six months without having to remember daily application. This treatment offers convenience and hormone release that mimics your body’s natural release.

Who Is a Good Candidate for BHRT?

BHRT may be appropriate for individuals in perimenopause or menopause who have confirmed hormone imbalances through symptomatic diagnosis and/or lab testing. Good candidates are generally in overall stable health and are not dealing with active cancers, clotting disorders, or liver disease. Those who are seeking long-term support instead of short-term symptom relief tend to do well with personalized hormone therapy. We often recommend BHRT to patients experiencing mood swings or perimenopause hormone imbalance patterns that are not improving with lifestyle changes alone.

Take our FREE Hormonal Imbalance Quiz to see if you are potentially a good candidate.

What Happens If Menopause Goes Untreated

Choosing not to address menopause is always your choice. We find that many women simply put up with symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes and disrupted sleep, assuming that this is just a stage that they need to get through. However, enduring these symptoms is not the only option, and we want our patients to know that they can move through menopause with more comfort and increase their longevity. We are here to help you weigh your options and make a choice that allows you to protect your future health while enjoying energy and vitality now.

Why Balanced Medical Solutions?

We are one of the first hormone and sexual wellness clinics in the San Francisco Bay Area to serve women, men and couples in a shared setting. That means patients who want to experience hormonal and sexual health improvements alongside their partner can do so in a connected, supportive environment. We offer a full range of services, from weight loss programs with GLP-1s to regenerative stem cell therapy (via exosomes), to peptides, to hormone testing and sexual health optimization, all under one roof. Learn more about our services for women – click here.

We follow the American Medical Association’s Code of Medical Ethics, and we take the time to understand your individual goals and biology before making any recommendations. We also offer ongoing support with complimentary follow-up visits for life, which allows us to make adjustments and track progress without placing an additional financial burden on you.

Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) for menopause is built around your personal preferences and solid medical information. As a BBB-accredited clinic with an A+ rating and five-star reviews across the web, we are proud to help patients in the Bay Area feel more balanced and energized.

Serving the Greater San Francisco Bay Area

Our office is located in Hayward, CA, which puts us within easy reach of patients from all across the East Bay and the wider San Francisco Bay Area. We regularly welcome patients from Oakland, Fremont, San Leandro, Castro Valley, San Jose, Danville and beyond who are looking for personalized hormone and health optimization care in a compassionate environment. Hayward’s central location and convenient access make the trip simple for patients across the entire area, and our services are well worth the drive for people coming from further away.

Patient Testimonials

“Super excited to be here and to bring my mama to do her first Hormonal check and treatment. This place is so neat, modern and professional!!! She was very happy and confident to make the decision to come and try it out! No regrets!!! Looking forward for more treatments!!!”
– C. Ayarza

“I went in for a simple consultation and had many questions. They ended up doing my blood work and I followed up with their recommendations. I am very happy with the results so far, the professionalism and how easy it has been to work with the office. I highly give them 5-stars!”
– T. Pereira

Frequently Asked Questions

What is menopause?

Menopause is when your menstrual periods stop completely, and you can no longer get pregnant. You officially reach menopause after 12 straight months without a period, but the months and years leading up to that also involve significant changes to your body.

How does menopause affect my hormones?

Estrogen and progesterone are the major hormones in a woman’s body. After menopause, your body produces lower levels of these hormones. Because hormones regulate most of your bodily functions, even a small hormonal imbalance can cause noticeable symptoms. Testosterone is also a vital part of a woman’s hormonal balance, although not in the same quantities as in men. Lowering testosterone levels can cause women to see dips in their energy levels and affect their libido, among other symptoms.

In addition to increasing your risk for medical conditions like osteoporosis and obesity, hormonal imbalances are responsible for most of the unpleasant symptoms that come to mind when you think of menopause.

Perimenopause is the time leading up to menopause. During perimenopause, your hormone levels can change randomly and dramatically, causing unexpected menopause symptoms like hot flashes and weight gain.

If menopause symptoms negatively affect your quality of life, the team at Balanced Medical Solutions can help. Take our FREE hormonal imbalance quiz to see if you might have a hormonal imbalance – click here.

Is BHRT safe?

Like any treatment, menopause solutions require a full health evaluation and ongoing monitoring to make sure BHRT continues to align with your needs and medical history. Side effects are possible, but our goal is to minimize risks by customizing your dosage and adjusting it based on how your body responds.

How long does it take to feel better?

Each body responds to menopause therapy at a different pace, and the timeline depends on factors like dosage, delivery method, and baseline hormone levels. Some individuals report improvement within a few weeks, while others may take longer to notice meaningful changes.

How is BHRT different from traditional HRT?

Traditional HRT uses synthetic or animal-derived hormones, while BHRT is made from plant sources and designed to closely match the body’s own hormones. Bioidentical hormones have soy and yam-derived menopause formulations. This difference in structure can lead to fewer side effects and improved absorption and tolerance in some patients.

Can I still benefit from BHRT if I’m in early perimenopause?

Early perimenopause can be a great time to start bioidentical hormone replacement therapy or other supplementary treatments. As soon as your hormones drop outside the usual range and you start to experience symptoms like irregular cycles and mood changes, this type of treatment can be appropriate. We will start with a blood test to make sure your symptoms are coming from a hormone imbalance before moving forward with a treatment.

What should I avoid before my hormone lab work?

Preparation for your menopause support treatment is simple. We will give you all of the specific instructions ahead of time, which may include noting any medications or supplements that you are taking. Be sure to let us know about any creams, patches or hormones that you are currently using so we can be sure to get accurate results from your lab tests.

Can women have low testosterone?

Testosterone is often thought of as only a male hormone. However, women produce it too, and it is important for female health and well-being. In women, testosterone supports energy, libido, mood, mental focus, muscle tone and bone strength, but in smaller amounts than in men. As you move through perimenopause and menopause, our labs may find that testosterone levels are also low, along with estrogen.

Low testosterone can leave you feeling tired and unmotivated and give you a drop in your sex drive. Testosterone is also supplemented in small doses to bring levels into balance and improve certain physical symptoms.

Can bioidentical hormone replacement therapy help with surgical or early menopause?

Women who experience surgical or early menopause often face a more sudden and intense hormonal drop than those who naturally transition over several years. When the ovaries are removed or stop functioning, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone can all fall sharply and trigger intense hot flashes and mood changes, along with other symptoms.

BHRT can be used in these situations to replace the hormones that the body is missing, dosed based on your lab results and symptoms. If you have experienced early menopause, you can set up a consultation with us to learn whether our treatments are suitable for your situation.