Are you experiencing some symptoms of Menopause? Have you discussed with your physician what treatments are available to you? Were you given the option to use bioidentical hormones? Are you still asking questions? Let’s unravel the puzzle together. Read on to find out why biodientical hormones may be right for you.
What are Bioidentical Hormones?
Hormones are chemical messengers that are delivered to the body tissues through the blood. They affect many different processes (growth and development, metabolism, sexual function, reproduction, mood…). “Bioidentical hormones” refers to substances that have the exact same chemical structure as the endogenous hormones in our bodies: estradiol, estrone, estriol, progesterone and testosterone. These bioidentical hormones are made from botanical plants such as soy and yams. Our bodies cannot convert the plant hormones into human hormones, so the plant hormones are pharmaceutically processed to match our endogenous hormones.
Bioidentical or Synthetic Hormones?
Much confusion exists for both women and health professionals over the latest buzzwords “bioidentical or synthetic” hormone therapy. The word bioidentical is often equated to being natural while in contrast synthetic is equated to being man-made. Synthetic hormones indicate hormones created in a laboratory that do not chemically match the hormones made by our bodies. Bioidentical hormones match our hormones precisely. Both bioidentical and synthetic hormones are created in pharmaceutical laboratories using chemical means. Also, both bioidentical and synthetic hormones come from natural sources (yams, soy…), and then are manipulated in the laboratory to create either identical or synthetic hormones.
Why use Bioidentical Hormones?
Since these have identical molecular structure to our endogenous hormones their effects are more consistent with our own hormones. According to some studies women respond more quickly to bioidentical hormones while finding relief from hot flashes, insomnia and vaginal dryness within a few days of commencing use. Also, these are not mass produced, they are compounded in pharmacies so they can be tailored to your specific needs. Synthetic hormones in order to be patented, were created to be different from human hormones. This causes them to interact differently with hormone receptors allowing for a greater chance of undesirable side effects.
Where Are They Available?
Bioidentical hormones are available by prescription, at any compounding pharmacy. The compounding pharmacist individualizes drug therapy at the request of the physician or patient. Usually these hormones are compounded into creams to be applied on the skin (transdermal) or vaginally (transmucomal). They can also be made into oral lozenges, but these require higher doses of hormones since they must pass through the liver and be metabolized which can lead to unwanted side effects.
