May 23, 2025
Are you feeling out of sorts, battling symptoms like fatigue, mood swings, or irregular periods? If you’re a woman in your 30s or 40s, you may be experiencing perimenopause, a natural yet often challenging phase of life. At Hotze Health & Wellness Center, we’ve spent over 35 years transforming the lives of our guests (we call our patients “guests”) by addressing the root cause of perimenopause symptoms with bioidentical hormone balancing. Unlike conventional doctors who may dismiss your symptoms as “all in your head” or prescribe pharmaceutical drugs like antidepressants, we listen, validate your concerns, and offer natural, effective solutions. In this comprehensive blog, we’ll explore what perimenopause is, when it starts, its causes, symptoms, and how bioidentical hormone therapy can help you thrive through this transition. These may be symptoms of aging, but you do not have to live with them. Perimenopause is a natural occurrence, as is Menopause and Post Menopause. They are all directly connected to our hormones, and the simple answer is balancing and replenishing your hormones. Many conventional doctors are not trained in replenishing bioidentical hormones, and this is why they often say you need to live with your symptoms or, worse, put you on pharmaceutical drugs that come with additional side effects. This is a myth that these symptoms cannot be helped, naturally. Let’s start at the beginning.
Perimenopause, often called the “menopausal transition,” is the phase leading up to menopause when a woman’s ovaries gradually produce less estrogen and progesterone. According to the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), perimenopause typically begins in a woman’s 40s but can start as early as her mid-30s. This phase can last from a few months to 10 years, ending when a woman has gone 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period, marking the onset of menopause.
Unlike menopause, where ovulation ceases entirely, perimenopause is characterized by irregular ovulation and fluctuating hormone levels. These hormonal shifts can lead to a wide range of physical, emotional, and cognitive symptoms that can significantly impact quality of life. Unfortunately, many conventional doctors, untrained in bioidentical hormones, may tell women their symptoms are “just part of aging” or “in their head,” leaving them feeling unheard and without solutions. At Hotze Health & Wellness Center, we believe your symptoms are real, and they’re often due to a hormone imbalance. As I often say, “Your symptoms are not from a lack of pharmaceutical drugs in your system—they are due to a hormone imbalance.” By addressing this imbalance with bioidentical hormones (we do not recommend synthetic hormones as they often come with a host of side effects), we can help you reclaim your energy, mood, vitality and overall quality of life during this stage.
Perimenopause can begin earlier than many women expect. While the average age of onset is around 40–45, some women notice symptoms in their mid-30s, particularly if they have a family history of early menopause. A 2020 study published in the Journal of Women’s Health, found that approximately 10% of women experience perimenopause symptoms before age 40. Factors like genetics, stress, smoking, or medical conditions such as thyroid dysfunction can influence when perimenopause begins.
The unpredictability of perimenopause can make it difficult to recognize. For example, irregular periods may be dismissed as stress-related, or mood swings may be mistaken for psychological issues. At our center, we take a comprehensive approach, reviewing your medical history, clinical symptoms, and lab results to accurately identify perimenopause and create a personalized treatment plan.
Perimenopause is primarily driven by the natural aging of the ovaries. As women age, the ovaries produce fewer eggs, and the production of key hormones—estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone—begins to decline. These hormonal fluctuations disrupt the delicate balance that regulates the menstrual cycle, metabolism, mood, and other bodily functions.
Beyond aging, other factors can exacerbate hormonal imbalances during perimenopause:
At Hotze Health & Wellness Center, we look beyond symptoms to uncover the root cause, using your clinical symptoms, our 35 years of experience in this field and comprehensive blood testing to assess hormone levels, in addition to other biomarkers. This allows us to tailor a treatment plan that addresses your unique needs.
Perimenopause symptoms vary widely in type and severity, often making it a confusing and frustrating time. The following are among the most common symptoms although there can be other symptoms as well. The important thing is to ensure you are a self-advocate. If you have symptoms, ask questions and be persistent about getting to the root cause, rather than masking your symptoms or allowing others to tell you, your symptoms are not real. Below are the most common symptoms we see in our practice:
These symptoms can significantly affect your quality of life, yet many women are told by conventional doctors to “just live with it.” This advice is not only dismissive but also incorrect. Your symptoms are a signal that your body is out of balance, and with the right approach, you can feel vibrant and yourself again.
Unfortunately, conventional medicine often fails women during perimenopause. Many doctors, untrained in bioidentical hormones, may prescribe synthetic hormones (like Premarin), one hormone vs. multiple that need to be balanced, or pharmaceutical drugs (such as antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications) to mask symptoms. These approaches rarely address the root cause and can come with significant side effects. For example, a 2002 study from the Women’s Health Initiative found that synthetic hormone replacement therapy increased the risk of breast cancer and heart disease in some women.
Worse, some doctors dismiss perimenopause symptoms as psychological or inevitable, leaving women feeling unheard and hopeless. At Hotze Health & Wellness Center, we take a different approach. We listen to you, validate your experiences, and focus on restoring hormonal balance with bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). Our holistic approach also includes nutritional guidance, stress management, and lifestyle changes to support overall wellness. Again, we have been treating women, men and even teens with hormonal imbalances for over 35 years. This is our expertise, and we have been told time and time again that we have “saved our patient’s lives”. We consider ourselves health ministers at Hotze Health & Wellness Center and have treated thousands and thousands of guests with perimenopause, menopause, post-menopause and andropause in men symptoms over our 35 years of successful alternative approach medical practice.
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is a cornerstone of our treatment approach at Hotze Health & Wellness Center. Remember Bioidentical Hormones are different than Synthetic Hormones. Unlike synthetic hormones, bioidentical hormones are derived from plant or animal sources and are chemically identical to the hormones your body produces. This makes them a safer, more effective option for restoring balance.
A 2018 study published in the Journal of Women’s Health confirmed that bioidentical hormone therapy is a safe and effective option for managing perimenopause symptoms when individualized to the patient. At our center, we use your clinical symptoms, comprehensive lab testing, and ongoing monitoring to ensure your BHRT plan is precisely tailored to your needs. It is important to note that at Hotze Health & Wellness Center, we do NOT utilize or recommend pellet therapy for hormone replenishment. Pellet therapy does not allow you to “tweak” the dosing, and this is very important as needs differ for every individual and needs also change. Pellet therapy does not allow for this personalization that is critical for balancing hormones. There are times when a dosage may need to be lowered or increased. Utilizing Sublingual Tablets, Capsules, and Creams allows you and your provider to partner on your health and personalize your body’s needs.
In addition to BHRT, we address other factors that influence perimenopause symptoms:
At Hotze Health & Wellness Center we treat the entire body. By combining BHRT with these strategies, we help you achieve lasting relief and optimal wellness. Our goal is prevention, relief of symptoms and to work with all our guests on longevity and healthspan. There is no reason, as you age, that you should not be living all your years healthy and vibrant. If you take care of your body, naturally, your body will always return the favor.
For over 35 years, Hotze Health & Wellness Center has been a leader in holistic, alternative medicine, specializing in hormone balancing for perimenopause, menopause, post-menopause and andropause. Our approach is rooted in listening to our guests and treating them as individuals, not just a collection of symptoms. We never dismiss your concerns or tell you to “live with it.” Instead, we dig deeper to uncover the root cause of your symptoms and create a personalized plan to restore your health.
Our team of medical experts, combined with our state-of-the-art diagnostic tools and commitment to natural solutions, sets us apart. We’re proud to have helped thousands of women (and men) reclaim their vitality and live life to the fullest. As I often say, “When we balance the hormones of aging and hormone decline, symptoms often disappear.”
You don’t have to suffer through perimenopause. At Hotze Health & Wellness Center, we’re here to help you navigate this transition with natural, effective solutions that address the root cause of your symptoms. Whether you’re struggling with hot flashes, fatigue, or mood swings, we can help you feel like yourself again.
Call us today at (281) 698-8698 for a complimentary wellness consultation, or schedule at your convenience using this link Select a Date & Time – Calendly. Take the first step toward vibrant health and let us partner with you on your wellness journey!
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Since 1989, Hotze Health & Wellness Center has helped over 33,000 patients get their lives back using bioidentical hormones that restore hormones to optimal levels, strengthen immune systems, and increase energy levels. Our treatment regimen addresses the root cause of hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue, menopause, perimenopause, low testosterone, allergies, and candida.
Led by best-selling author, radio host and leading natural health expert, Steven F. Hotze, M.D., our medical team has over 100 years’ combined medical experience backed by a staff of nearly 100 caring professionals who provide an environment of hope and extraordinary hospitality for each of our patients, who we call our guests. It is our deepest desire to help you obtain and maintain health and wellness naturally so that you may enjoy a better quality of life, pure and simple.
Do you want to live a healthy, happy, purpose-driven life? Do you want to restore your health so that your loss of energy, weight gain, joint pain, depression and lack of drive or motivation won’t hold you back from achieving your personal and professional goals?
Dr. Steven Hotze wants that for you, too. In fact, in his powerful and passionate video entitled, “What I Believe”, Dr. Hotze shares how his Christian worldview and pivotal experiences have ignited a deep desire to offer the message of hope and optimal health to all who need to hear it.
At Hotze Health & Wellness Center, our doctors are changing the way women and men are treated through the use of bioidentical hormones. Our natural treatments have helped over 33,000 individuals with hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue, menopause, perimenopause, low testosterone, allergies, candida, detoxification and nutritional deficiencies.
Meet our doctors"After a traumatic accident, I was told that I was in early menopause in my 20s and could never have children, however after restoring my hormones, I am now expecting baby #7!”
Holistic, functional medicine doctors in Houston, Texas specializing in bioidentical hormones, hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue, menopause, perimenopause, low testosterone, allergies and LDI treatment, candida, detoxification, nutritional deficiencies, longevity and aesthetics.
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