Today we’d like to introduce you to Monica Bell.
Hi Monica, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was in high school when a girlfriend asked me to sign-up for a nursing class. I reluctantly joined her. As I loved having classes with friends and I needed the elective credit needed to graduate. Within one week of the class starting, I knew I loved the medical field. I loved learning about the science of health and immediately connected to patients in the clinical setting. Since then, I think I’ve held about every title under the nursing banner: Certified Nursing Assistant, Medical Assistant, Licensed Practical Nurse, Registered Nurse and now Doctor of Nurse Practitioner (DNP). These titles helped to pay my way through college, they gave me such amazing life experiences, and I consider them to be the foundation for my life’s work. As I finished my DNP at the University of Utah, I had a dream of opening my own practice one day. There were two significant events that I can now see helped sow the seeds for what would become the mission of my practice today.
The first was my own midlife experience, when I began feeling symptoms related to hormone imbalance. As I searched for a provider to help me, I was shocked at the lack of providers that replaced hormones in an evidenced-based way. In fact, many providers did not even engage my concerns in a meaningful conversation. When I described feeling tired, with low sex drive and moodiness, my doctor’s response was simply, “this is normal.” This was unacceptable to me. I was in my late 30s and what should be primetime of my life. Yes, I had small children and worked, but shouldn’t I still have some energy at the end of the day? Or want intimate time with my husband? Wasn’t that important to my health? This is when I knew that I would start my own practice to help women and men with hormone imbalances and improve sexual wellness. Helping promote overall improvements in the quality of life of men and women.
My mother’s passing was another significant event that had a direct impact on the course of my career. As I finished my DNP, my mom died of a heart attack at the age of 61. Grief-stricken and angry, I looked back on my mom’s medical past and asked myself, “how could I have helped prevent this?” As I studied the research, I found that a possible cause of her death could have been the early removal of her ovaries at the age of 40. Shortly thereafter, my mom started to gain weight. About 5 years later, she was diagnosed with prediabetes. Then, a few years later diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
These factors can be linked to significant coronary heart disease and of course, ultimately are the conditions that led to my mom’s early death.
We now know that when we take a woman’s ovaries out electively, and she does not do hormone therapy, she has a significantly higher risk of death than a woman who hasn’t had her ovaries removed. By taking out ovaries electively, the surgeons were unintentionally causing more deaths.
We now have multiple studies that show an association between ovary removal and decreased overall health and life expectancy, most notably due to heart disease. Had my mom done hormone replacement therapy would she still be here? I’m not sure but my goal is to educate women about menopause, possible treatments and the risks associated with menopause and menopause hormone treatment so they can make that decision for themselves.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have certainly been struggles along the road to establishing my business. Some of those struggles I anticipated and others have come as a surprise. I knew going into this field that discussing sex, libido and hormone replacement therapy are topics that people do not easily discuss. It’s hard to share these experiences with others – they can be considered taboo topics and it can feel embarrassing or even shameful to admit problems in these areas. Once I did start talking to people about their hormones and sexual health, I began to realize the extent of people’s fears – there are many myths and contradicting opinions that add to people’s worries and make the decision of seeking treatment even more confusing. I was surprised by how hard it is to find direction and support to get healthy in this area of our lives. In most primary care settings, providers are not willing to talk about the important questions people have about hormones and sex. What hormones are safe? What is good sex? What is intimacy and why is it so important? And if women ask about sexuality or hormone replacement, they are often given no choices or treatments other than it is just normal so get used to it. The conversation I am having with my patients is still not common enough among practitioners, but I am determined to create a space where patients can ask questions, learn about cutting-edge research and health solutions, and feel seen and heard in their quest for a better quality of life.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Optimal Hormone Health?
I am passionate about promoting vitality throughout the lifespan. Keeping people active in their lives in and out of the bedroom. Want to keep hiking Mount Timpanogos? I want to help you do that for as long as you’d like. Want to keep the intimacy going late into your life? I have the tools to help. As a Nurse Practitioner, I help replace hormone imbalances to improve the quality of life. I treat sexual dysfunction with or without hormone therapy.
And this is exciting to me – that I can help a patient discover the best path forward to wellness and that could look different from person to person. My business is centered upon a commitment to our patients’ journey. Listening to their stories and their health desires and supporting them in the best way I can with the tools that I have is a great joy of my life. As we become a partner in health to our patients, we offer a personalized wellness plan that reflects our patients’ goals and optimal health. We pride ourselves on being a high-quality practice focused on results.
Our core values are:
Vitality
Excellence
Results
Collaborative
Communication
Ownership
What were you like growing up?
Early in my life, I was painfully shy. Always hiding behind my mother or sister. But I always craved connections with family and friends. Soon my shyness disappeared and loved talking to anyone. My love for the outdoors also started at a young age. I loved riding horses, hiking and camping with my grandfather. I enjoyed playing sports in high school. Although I was no great athlete, I played basketball, softball and track and field. I also learned early on that the busier I was, the better I felt. I loved to work. I held my first full-time summer job at the age of 14. This drive for connection to my family and friends, love of the outdoors, and serving in my work is still what motivated me today.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.optimalhormonehealth.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/optimalhormonehealth/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/optimalhormonehealth
Image Credits
Head shots by Melinda Jea
Office photos by Sarah Young
