All for Women Health Care

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Monthly presentation offered by Marcia Scoville CNM in conjunction with Jolley's Compounding Pharmacy.
Join us to talk about Bio-identical Hormone Replacement, Menopause and Perimenopause, and learn about your options.

Have you felt like your life is finally on track, but your body and mind have been derailed? A lot of women in their 40s and 50s have their career and family under control; but they start to feel out of control. Hormonal changes can alter your body, your mood, and your mind. Marcia Scoville discussed her approach to resolving these issues through hormone therapy in an interview with 2News:

"Hormone Replacement Helps Women Get Back on Track" Link to article and video on Kutv2 News, Utah.

Recently, Oprah started a national conversation regarding the merits of hormone replacement therapy. Imagine my surprise when I recognized myself as the presenter alluded to in the opening paragraph of an article on the subject in the February issue of O Magazine:

--O Magazine, February 2009, "O Special Report: What Nobody Tells You About Hormones" by Mary Duenwald

After teaching at the University of Utah for 12 years, I opened my own women's health practice in 2002. I now have the opportunity to spend the time needed to adequately assess problems in context for each woman I see. I have always wanted to offer women options for getting better, and that takes time.
I believe that prevention is the heart of health care. My goal is to provide my patients with everything they need in order to make informed decisions about their health care.
In addition, I have worked to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to assist women of all ages who are having problems associated with hormonal imbalance. I work closely with compounding pharmacists to create individual bioidentical hormone formulas to address each woman's needs.
I feel it is a privilege to introduce young women to the importance of health care and provide: Mission exams; premarital exams; first gynecologic exams and annual physical exams to women of all ages. The usual problem visits for infection, birth control and mood disorders are also part of my practice. I can discuss the risks and benefits of prescription, nutritional, herbal and hormonal support for a variety of problems women encounter as they try to stay healthy.
Take a tour of my practice, and you'll get a feel for the type of care you can expect from All for Women Health Care.

How do I know if I'm at risk for Heart Disease?
We do an in-office lipid panel and inflammation marker test. If your test results show elevated levels of total cholesterol or LDL (bad cholesterol) or low levels of HDL (good cholesterol) we can discuss different therapies to improve and support good cardiovascular health.
What about my risk of Diabetes?
We do a test called Hemoglobin A1C to asses your risk. Once your test results come back, we can help lower your risk by decreasing insulin resistance and modifying glucose absorption.

What's the difference between conventional Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and bio-identical hormone balancing?
The synthetic hormones used in medications like Premarin, are similar to our own hormones, and have some benefit for symptom control. However, bio-identical hormones are the same hormones that our bodies produce naturally. Because they are the same on a molecular level, they are more effective and have fewer side effects. The bio-identical hormones can be custom compounded at Jolley's Corner Pharmacy in the right proportions for the imbalances you may have.
How does hormonal imbalance affect my health?
There are receptor sites for estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and cortisol on cells throughout our bodies. In addition, hormones interact and a deficiency or excess in one hormone can create deficiencies or excesses in other hormones. All women notice some symptoms related to hormone changes with their menstrual cycles or pregnancy, breastfeeding and post-partum.
At what point in a woman's life can hormonal imbalance occur?
Anytime we have excesses or deficiencies in the major hormones (cortisol, insulin, or thyroid), we can have symptoms. In addition, whenever our ovaries are not consistently ovulating (young women with immature ovaries, stress, obesity, or older women with aging eggs that don't respond to stimulation and ovulate) we do not have the right amounts and balance of reproductive hormones. These imbalances can create secondary imbalances in other hormones and systems. Surgeries, such as hysterectomy and sometimes other pelvic surgeries can interrupt the blood supply to our ovaries, and affect their function.
What is a saliva hormone test? Why don't you use blood to test hormone levels?
A sample of saliva is analyzed at the laboratory instead of blood. While blood tests can be used, and some practitioners who do hormone balance do use blood tests, saliva is a reflection of the levels of hormone the tissues. Saliva tests can be done at home on the correct day and time of a cycle. Salivary glands essentially leak cellular fluid, which reflects the levels in the cells. Blood tests have wide ranges of normal, and sometimes very symptomatic women may have a "normal" blood level of hormones.
How much does hormone-balancing cost and what does it entail?
The initial visit lasts one hour. During this visit I learn about your medical and health history, your symptoms and any concerns you may have. We will discuss how your symptoms correspond to different hormonal imbalances. At the end of the visit, I send you home with a ZRT Laboratory test kit. Saliva samples must be collected at home. The saliva test measures Estrogen, Testosterone, Progesterone, DHEAS and AM Cortisol. You mail your test kit to the lab in Oregon with an enclosed prepaid UPS mailer.
ZRT Laboratory offers a discount if you pay for your test when you send it in. The discounted cost is $30 per hormone, or $150 total. Otherwise, the lab will try to bill your insurance company for the retail cost of the test. However, if your insurance company denies payment, ZRT will bill you the retail rate of $225. We suggest that you pay the discounted rate up front and submit your own claim to insurance for reimbursement.
Approximately two weeks after you mail your test kit in, the lab will send us your results. As soon as we receive your results, we will call you to set up your second visit. The follow up visit lasts half an hour. During this visit, we will discuss your results and talk about the personalized compounded bio-identical hormone treatments that are right for you.
Please call our office for specific visit pricing.
Does insurance cover hormone balancing?
Effective January 1, 2005, All for Women Health Care no longer accepts direct reimbursement from insurance companies. Although we no longer bill insurance directly, we will provide you with all the information you will need to submit your claim to insurance. If your insurance plan includes out of network benefits, your carrier will reimburse you according to those benefits. To find out if your insurance plan has out of network benefits, call the number on the back of your insurance card.
Even if your insurance company will not reimburse you for out of network office visits, they may cover lab tests and prescriptions.
For other questions, please call (801) 746-7467

Marcia Scoville CNM has been providing women's health care for over 17 years. She graduated with an MS from the University of Utah in 1988. She taught in the nurse midwifery and woman's health nurse practioner programs at the University of Utah for 12 years before leaving to start her own private practice.