Jeffrey M. Schwartz, MD
As an Integrative Gynecologist, I have extensive experience treating the hormonal imbalances that women undergo in peri-menopause and menopause. I also understand the fears that women today express regarding traditional Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) with synthetic hormones, as described in the Womens Health Initiative Study.
As an Integrative Gynecologist, I am keenly aware of the complexities of hormonal regulation and the problems encountered by using drugs produced by major pharmaceutical companies. I long ago realized that bioidentical hormones offered an unmatched safety profile and more flexibility in dosing routes of administration than traditional hormone replacement therapy and brand-name synthetic drugs. This equates to the ability to customize a therapeutic plan tailored for each individual. After completing a career in OB/GYN, I spent several years working in a men's clinic, perfecting the skills necessary to treat male sexual dysfunction and andropause (low testosterone levels in men).
What makes IGO truly innovative is that I am not only a Sexual Medicine physician, I am a Florida Certified Sex Therapist as well. This combination allows me to treat the hormonal, physical, emotional and psychological needs of my patients. Being an Integrative Gynecologist allows me to see women, men, and couples for their hormonal imbalances and sexual challenges. By treating couples simultaneously “Couplepause”, this allows me to achieve better, comprehensive, and expedited outcomes.
I am a member of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and a Diplomate of the American Board of Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine. As an anti-aging physician, I routinely screen for and treat metabolic syndrome (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and obesity) that is invariably associated with hormonal dysregulation. I understand that wellness is dependent on the balance between multiple hormonal systems such as the thyroid gland and adrenal gland.
Philosophy:
Traditional medical training views healthcare from a pathologic reference point, that is, diagnose a disease and prescribe medications for treatment. This viewpoint sees HRT as treating a 'deficiency' state. As an anti-aging physician, I see HRT as a progressive, lifelong commitment to hormonal regulation and balancing that ensures optimal levels at all ages; a preventative treatment model of medicine as opposed to the pathologic deficiency model.
Traditional hormone replacement therapy has been used to treat deficiency states in menopause and andropause that occur in mid-life and beyond but does not recognize the need for hormonal optimization in earlier years. These hormones carry a high oncogenic risk and side-effect profile because they are synthetic chemicals. Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT), on the other hand, are plant-based organic compounds that mimic and are molecularly similar to our own bodies naturally occurring hormones, so the rate of cancer and adverse side effects are reduced.
Traditional hormone replacement therapy is a means of treating the masses. Medications made in a limited number of dosing options and modes of administration to treat the public at large, whereas BHRT are compounded medications that can be made in unlimited number of dosages and delivered in a variety of means (pills, injections, sublingual, transdermal, implantable pellets) tailored to each Individual.
Education:
- New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York
- Residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology, Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York
Professional Affiliations:
- Sexual Medicine Society of North America
- International Society for the Study of Women s Sexual Health
- American Society of Andrology
- The Society for Sex Therapy and Research
- International Society for the Study of Sexual Medicine
- American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine
Certifications:
- Florida Certified Sex Therapist (CST)
- Diplomate, American Board of Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine
