Can I Afford BHRT? How Can You Not!

Not only do hormones control most of your essential bodily functions, but they also serve as a communication system between your cells. Hormones are involved in everything from immune function to digestion to growth to libido to mood.

Not only do hormones control most of your essential bodily functions, but they also serve as a communication system between your cells.

Hormones are involved in everything from immune function to digestion to growth to libido to mood. Recent studies have also discovered that how the body experiences pain is affected by your sex hormones.

Without hormones, the body wouldn’t be able to function. And if even one hormone gets out balance, it can affect whole systems of the body.

If you want your body to perform at peak levels, you must attend to any hormone imbalance that arises.

Hormone levels can be affected by the natural changes in our lifecycle or as a result of a disease process. Hormone imbalance can cause a variety of symptoms, including:

Problems sleeping
Pain during sex
Weight gain
Loss of muscle mass
Low sex drive
Fatigue
Insomnia
Chronic aches and pains
Irregular menstrual periods
Vaginal dryness and loss of interest in sex
Hot flashes and night sweats
Loss of energy and fatigue
Foggy thinking
Loss of muscle mass and weight gain
Memory loss
Mood changes

Hormone imbalances can be red flags for long-term health consequences. For example, researchers have found menopause symptoms can be signals of impending health problems like:

Type 2 diabetes
Cardiovascular disease
Osteoporosis
Dementia

Studies are also showing that the long-term effects of low testosterone in men tend to lead to depression, weight gain, and loss of bone density.

Medical Science Has a Solution

Treatment for hormone imbalance is now available in the form of Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). Hormone replacement therapy replaces missing hormones to bring levels back into balance.

You may have heard of conventional hormone replacement therapy, which uses hormones made from the urine of pregnant horses and other synthetic hormones.

Bio-identical hormones are made from plant estrogens that are chemically identical to those our bodies produce naturally.

According to the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), about 1.4 million women currently use BHRT to treat their menopause symptoms.

The Cost of BHRT

If you have symptoms of hormone imbalance and have been putting off a trip to the doctor, it’s time to follow through.

Maybe you’ve been hesitating because you don’t know if you can afford hormone replacement therapy. The question isn’t whether you can afford to get BHRT treatment; can you afford not to?

Insurance Coverage for BHRT

Most often, insurance coverage is contingent on medical necessity, but how is medical necessity defined? According to insurance provider Cigna, medical necessity is defined as:

Health care services that a physician, exercising prudent clinical judgment, would provide to a patient. The service must be: For the purpose of evaluating, diagnosing, or treating an illness, injury, disease, or its symptoms.

Even though it may be ruining life as you know it, hormonal imbalance isn’t usually life-threatening. Although the medical profession supports and recognizes treating hormone imbalance with BHRT, insurance plans each have their take on whether or not it is a medical necessity.

You will need to talk with your insurance provider to determine which your policy covers bioidentical hormone services and products.

Three components that may affect whether or not your insurance policy will cover the BHRT you choose: providers, labs, and prescription drug coverage.

Your policy may require you to visit an in-network provider for BHRT. Some plans may allow you to go out-of-network, but you will pay more out of pocket.
Coverage may include lab tests from in-network labs, but the amount you pay will be affected your plan’s deductible and co-payments. Sometimes, specific lab tests are not covered, so it is best to check with your insurance provider before you have them performed.
Your prescription drug coverage may cover some, but not all, BHRT preparations. If prepared by a compounding pharmacy, a medication may not be covered by insurance, but standardized bioidentical products often are. Review your prescription drug coverage with your insurance company to better understand what your costs will be.

Just because your insurance company may not cover the treatment recommended to you by your healthcare provider, doesn’t mean that it isn’t in your best interest to get the treatment.

BHRT: The Process

After you’ve made the decision that you want to undergo BHRT, you need to find a healthcare provider that specializes in hormone health.

Neighborhood Wellness Clinic is one such provider. Our team members have received extensive training from world-class hormone specialists and experts to become licensed Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy providers.

Options

When you come in for a consultation, we will take your medical history, assess your symptoms, discuss your goals, and help you understand the treatment options available to you.

We will also run comprehensive laboratory tests to measure hormone levels in your blood, urine, or saliva.

Lab Results

Once we receive your lab results, we will design a personalized treatment plan tailored to your individual needs and preferences. We use the EvexiPEL method of bio-identical hormone replacement therapy with pellets to deliver precise amounts of hormones to your body.

Providers inject a tiny pellet, about the size of a piece of rice, under your skin. While there, it releases the perfect amount of hormones your body needs based on signals given to it by your own body.

Pellet insertion and follow-up visits can happen at the same time, and only have to happen 3-4 times per year.

Take Charge of Your Health

Hormone changes and imbalances may be a normal effect of aging, but they can also have serious consequences and destroy your quality of life.

Don’t minimize your symptoms. Don’t write them off as “I’m just getting old” or “I guess I’m just supposed to feel like this.” That’s not the case. And there are solutions available.

Take your healthcare decisions into your own hands. The best investment you can make is an investment in your health.

We’re Here for You!

We’ll provide custom solutions that allow you to get back to life without symptoms. Enjoy the care and lasting solutions you deserve! It’s time to feel better! Contact us for a consultation today!