Wait, was that not what you had in mind? Perhaps you were leaning towards fine wines, quiet vacations, and time between the sheets with your loved one.

Sadly, your body has other plans. Whilst you take a moment to lament this sad fact, let us explain why it happens. The culprit is very likely hormone imbalance, which can happen at any age, but tends to heighten closer to menopause.

In the past, this hormone imbalance (a.k.a what Dr. 1812 dubbed ‘Hysteria’), has been treated with things like HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy aka Estrogen and Progestin) patches, which might have helped with moods and physical symptoms, but also had some pretty nasty trade offs, such as increased risk for breast cancer. My own mom was given an HRT patch in her 50’s, and whilst she enjoyed the positive effects initially, getting breast cancer fifteen years later seemed too high a price to pay.

How Does Hormone Replacement Play a Role?

To understand this, you have to understand how pharmaceutical HRT (P-HRT) works. It is manufactured using the hormones in a pregnant mares' urine as the base. These hormones are then adjusted to be similar to the estradiol and progesterone that our bodies make naturally. However, whilst the chemical hormones in P-HRT products are similar to our own, they are not identical to what is naturally made in our own bodies. The consequence of putting something into the body that was similar but not identical resulted, for some women, in breast cancer and heart disease.

So does that mean you are out of options? No Jamaican holidays spent sipping Pina Coladas and getting frisky with your other half?

What are Bioidenticals?

Enter bioidentical HRT (B-HRT). As the name suggests, products made with B-HRT contain hormones that are the exact same structure (bioidentical) as the hormones that our bodies produce. B-HRT can be wonderful for all sorts of things; balancing progesterone and estrogen levels, boosting estrogen around and after menopause, and using estriol topically for vaginal health. You know what that means right?

Take a second to do your happy dance. We’ll wait.

Ok, where were we? B-HRT, whilst wonderful, still has to be used carefully. These chemical messengers need to be just right, not applied in a more is better kinda way. Parlor Games' Silky Peach Cream is a low-level estriol cream designed especially for rebuilding your inner garden. Try it and see!

A quick note: When a woman has a lot of symptoms related to perimenopause, it can be so beneficial to work with a doctor and have their hormone levels tested in order to ensure the right mix of supplementation is used.

Why Estriol?

Estriol has the least estrogenic effects of all the estrogens. As such, it is a great solution for replumping tender tissue. As part of a cream that helps hydrate and heal your skin, it helps plump up tissue and gets cells back to their juicy state. Silky Peach Cream has a small amount of estriol in it, ideal for daily use (we recommend the evening). It works just where you need it but won’t raise your estradiol levels.