Bioidentical hormone therapy utilizes custom-made medications that are meant to perfectly mimic hormones that are depleted in the body. Women lose hormones during menopause and often look for alternatives to help relieve them of many annoying symptoms. Traditional hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been found to cause serious side effects in some patients.
History
Doctors at the Longevity and Aesthetics Institute report that hormone replacement therapy has been used to treat hormonal changes in menopausal women since the 1930s. Premarin, the first HRT drug to be used for treating hormonal imbalances was made from horse estrogens. Prempro was designed in the 1950s to replace the drug that was increasingly thought to cause uterine cancer. Studies done in 2002 by the Women's Health Initiative reported that HRT could increase the risk of breast cancer, stroke and blood clots. Millions of women stopped taking HRT following the report and began seeking other remedies for menopausal symptoms.
Significance
The biochemical structure of the new hormonal replacement drugs is supposed to be an exact duplicate of the estrogen, progesterone and testosterone produced by the body. Bioidentical hormones are made from plant derivatives. Healthcare proponents of bioidentical therapy, often found in women's clinics and holistic healthcare centers, measure a woman's hormone levels by taking a saliva sample and writing a prescription for the amount and kinds of hormones she needs. A compound pharmacy then makes the medication on an individual basis.
Consideration
Symptoms of menopause can range form being uncomfortable to interfering with a woman's daily activities. Taking any kind of hormone replacement therapy is a big decision, report doctors at the Women's Health Initiative. Since there are so few scientific studies done on bioidentical hormones, they recommend other natural alternatives to traditional HRT that include lifestyle changes, exercise, antidepressants and bone strengthening medication to prevent osteoporosis.
Misconceptions
Doctors at the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists point out that saliva testing is insufficient to accurately measure hormone levels because of the number of variables that affect saliva, from what foods were eaten that day to the time of day the test is performed.
Warning
Doctors at the Mayo Clinic warn people who use bioidentical hormones to watch for the same kinds of side effects as traditional hormone replacements. There is no evidence that they are any safer than manufactured HRTs. Since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not regulate them, bioidenticals also pose a higher risk of contamination as well as mistakes made in the potency and purity of the ingredients. In addition, no warnings of potential side effects are available to assist women in making an informed decision. In fact, bioidenticals may carry the same risks associated with synthetic HRT.
