Bioidentical Hormonal Therapy

When a woman reaches menopause and begins to suffer from hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, decreased libido or any other symptom, her doctor may advise that she undergo Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). But HRT is not without its own side effects. There is a natural solution, however: Bioidentical Hormone Therapy. It's similar to HRT except for one crucial difference: these hormones are natural, not synthetic.

Hormones 101

• Hormones fit into specific cell receptors in the body, like a key fits into a lock, and then transmit instructions as to what to do. For example, estrogen locks into receptor sites and then instructs those cells to grow while progesterone locks into other receptors and instructs those cells to stop growing-- hence, hormonal balance. If the body is producing too little of one hormone (as with menopause) or if synthetic hormones are locking into receptors, then a hormonal imbalance occurs.

Traditional HRT

• Hormone Replacement Therapy uses chemical hormones, most commonly Premarin (pregnant mares' urine), Provera (a progesterone substitute) or Prempro, which is a combination of the two. But molecules from different species don't react the same way in human cell receptors that our own molecules do; sometimes they will act like human hormones and sometimes they won't. When they don't, the body reacts and side effects---sometimes serious---abound. According to The Lancet's "Million Women Study", there is now no doubt that conventional HRT increases the risk of breast cancer.

Bioidentical Hormone Therapy

• Bioidentical hormones are made from plant compounds and are identical in molecular structure to human hormones. Synthetic hormones, on the other hand, are designed to be purposefully altered somewhat so that they can be patented (natural hormones cannot) and are therefore much more profitable. Because bioidentical hormones are molecularly the same as your body's natural hormones, BHT has few side effects that generally occur when the dose is too high or not tailored to the individual. According to Dr. John Lee's book "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer," bioidentical hormones---specifically progesterone (and not its synthetic counterpart progestin)---has been shown to protect against breast cancer and lower the risk of heart disease.

  According to a study published in Medical News Today, as well as over 30 years of scientific research and clinical experience, bioidentical hormones carry less risk than conventional hormone therapy and are FDA approved. You need a doctor's prescription for bioidentical hormones, which come in a patch, pill or cream. Once you begin BHT, it takes about 3-6 months for results, depending on your diet and exercise plans as well as how quickly your body responds. If your current doctor is not knowledgeable nor open to working with you about bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, find a local compounding pharmacy (where bioidentical hormones are made) and ask for a referral to a physician who is. It is important to have your hormone levels tested prior to any hormone replacement therapy because the point is to replicate the same levels you had prior to menopause, not just to take a high dose and hope it "does the trick."