What are these bioidentical
hormones I've been hearing about, and how are they different from
"regular" hormones? This is becoming a common question among women
considering hormone replacement therapy.
Interest in bioidentical
hormone therapy has picked up over the last decade, in large part due to the
huge 2002 Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study. The WHI study was stopped
early after researchers found post-menopausal women on hormone replacement therapy
had a higher risk of breast cancer, heart attack, and stroke. This study used
only non-bioidentical estrogen and progesterone, and the findings caused a huge
reaction among patients. Seemingly overnight, tens of thousands of women
stopped hormone therapy and started looking for safer alternatives.
Conventional hormone therapy
uses animal-based or synthetic hormones that are close but not identical to the
hormones naturally produced by the human body. As the name implies,
bioidentical hormones are biochemically identical to natural hormones. The
three most commonly prescribed bioidentical hormones are testosterone,
estrogen, and progesterone.
While this may clear up some
confusion, the truth is the matter gets a bit more complicated. There are two
broad forms of bioidentical hormone therapy. The hormones may be pre-made and
distributed through major pharmaceutical companies, or they may be made by a
compounding pharmacy. Pre-made hormones have FDA approval. Those made at a
compounding pharmacy cannot get FDA approval as each preparation is designed
for a specific patient. This means there is no precise makeup that can be
approved. Regardless of which type of hormone you and your physician choose,
you have a choice of pills, gels, creams, or hormone patches.
Why Choose Bioidentical Hormones?
Studies have found numerous
benefits to bioidentical hormone replacement. Research has found that it is not
actually estrogen on its own that increases the risk of breast cancer, as the
WHI study suggests. Instead, it seems the use of synthetic progesterone (or
progestin) is associated with the higher cancer rate in women who take
progestin and estrogen together.
Physicians and patients who
choose bioidentical hormone therapy over synthetic hormones also report reduced
side effects, such as puffiness and bleeding. As an added benefit, bioidentical
hormones can be measured with greater ease in blood tests.
Bioidentical hormone
replacement therapy may benefit you if you are in early menopause or you have a
hormone deficiency. Hormone therapy can treat symptoms of menopause such as
foggy thinking, fatigue, memory problems, vaginal dryness, and painful
intercourse, with a treatment plan customized to your goals. If you are
considering hormone replacement, the first step to take is scheduling a
consultation with a hormone doctor to have your hormone
levels checked with a blood test.
