ARENA FOR WOMEN
Understand your hormones.
Feel more like yourself.
Changes in sleep, energy, sexual desire, mood, and body composition deserve attention.
Arena takes an individualized approach to helping you optimize your health and performance, with access to bioidentical hormone replacement therapy when appropriate following evaluation by the licensed medical team.
UNDERSTANDING HORMONE CHANGE
Different hormones. Different timelines.
Testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone play important roles in women’s health. They do not all change at the same time or at the same rate.
Testosterone can decline during the reproductive years, before the more recognizable symptoms of perimenopause appear. As ovulation becomes less predictable during perimenopause, progesterone production can become less consistent. Estrogen may fluctuate considerably—sometimes rising before eventually falling to the lower levels typical after menopause.
Your symptoms and treatment needs may change along the way. You do not necessarily need every hormone replaced, or every treatment started at the same time.
BEYOND THE REFERENCE RANGE
“Normal” doesn’t tell your whole story.
A laboratory reference range helps interpret a test result. It does not, by itself, tell us whether your symptoms have been adequately understood or addressed.
A result described as “normal” or “normal for your age” does not necessarily mean your hormone status is optimal for your individual health and function. It also does not automatically mean you need hormone therapy.
Arena takes a functional, individualized approach: considering how you feel and function alongside your health history, menstrual stage, lab findings, and response to treatment.
Optimal care means finding an appropriate approach for you, with attention to symptom relief, safety, and ongoing medical evaluation.
TESTOSTERONE
An important hormone for women, too.
Testosterone is a natural part of female physiology. It contributes to sexual desire and plays a role in muscle and bone health.
Before menopause, circulating testosterone concentrations can exceed estradiol concentrations when measured in the same units. The relationship varies throughout the menstrual cycle—testosterone is not simply a “male hormone.”
Testosterone may decline before menstrual changes or hot flashes begin.
Testosterone therapy may help some postmenopausal women with persistent low sexual desire after a full evaluation. Evidence is insufficient to recommend it for fatigue, brain fog, exercise recovery, or changes in muscle and body composition.
The licensed medical team determines whether treatment is appropriate and monitors your response and potential side effects.
ESTROGEN
More than a reproductive hormone.
Estrogen supports vaginal and urinary tissue health, bone maintenance, cardiovascular health and temperature regulation. The medical team considers your health history, delivery method, and individual benefits and risks.
PROGESTERONE
Support through changing stages.
There are progesterone receptors in the breast, vagina, brain, blood vessels, and bone tissue. During perimenopause, less consistent ovulation can lead to changing progesterone levels.
Progesterone may help offset the symptoms of PMS, perimenopause and menopause, including disrupted sleep, in some women.
Whether you need progesterone—and how it is prescribed—depends on your symptoms, menstrual stage and your overall treatment plan.
LOOKING AT THE WHOLE PICTURE
Could your thyroid be contributing?
Not every midlife symptom comes from changes in reproductive hormones.
An underactive thyroid can contribute to fatigue, feeling cold, reduced cognition and memory, constipation, depression, dry skin, thinning hair, and brittle nails, changes in weight, brain fog and overall poor sense of well-being. Some of these symptoms overlap with those experienced during the menopause transition.
When appropriate, the medical team evaluates thyroid function and other possible contributors rather than assuming every symptom requires estrogen, progesterone, or testosterone.
Thyroid treatment is based on a medical diagnosis and individualized evaluation.
YOUR INDIVIDUAL STARTING POINT
A plan that can evolve with you.
Your evaluation considers your symptoms, menstrual history, medications, health history, and goals.
Testing is selected when it can help guide care. Because hormone levels fluctuate, particularly during perimenopause, a single blood test may not explain what you are experiencing.
If treatment is appropriate, the licensed medical team determines which hormones to use, the delivery method, and the dose.
Different treatments can have different timelines for benefit. Your plan is reviewed and adjusted as your needs change.
Your program fee provides access to Arena’s services and our team’s experience, with ongoing support for questions about labs, treatment options, nutrition, exercise, and recovery.
Medical evaluations, treatment decisions, prescriptions, and dosing are handled by the licensed medical team.
Lab testing and medications are billed separately.
YOUR QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
A clearer
starting point.
Do I have to wait until menopause to discuss hormone treatment?
No. Symptoms can begin during the reproductive years or perimenopause. The appropriate evaluation and treatment depend on your symptoms, health history, and stage of life.
Can my labs be normal even if I have symptoms?
Yes. Hormone levels fluctuate, and a result within a reference range does not explain every symptom. Your medical provider considers the broader picture, including other possible causes.
Do I need testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone together?
Not necessarily. These hormones follow different patterns, and each treatment has a different purpose. Your medical provider determines which treatments, if any, are appropriate and when to begin them.
What does bioidentical mean?
Bioidentical hormones have the same molecular structure as hormones produced by the human body. These include estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone. The term describes their structure; it does not mean every preparation or dose has the same benefits or risks.
Could my symptoms be related to my thyroid?
Possibly. Thyroid disorders can cause symptoms that overlap with perimenopause and menopause. Your provider can determine whether thyroid testing is appropriate.
Does hormone therapy prevent pregnancy?
No. Menopausal hormone therapy is not contraception. If pregnancy is possible, discuss contraception with your medical provider.
Are labs included in the program fee?
No. Lab testing is billed separately. The Arena team can explain testing options and costs before you proceed.
YOUR NEXT CHAPTER
There’s more
ahead of you.
Let’s talk about what you want to feel, do, and keep doing.
Book a discovery callA 15–20 minute conversation. No commitment.
