What is Bioidentical Hormone Replacement?

Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is used as doses of supplemental hormone doses; the BHRT hormones are identical or can be made identical in chemical structure to the hormones produced by the human body. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy treats symptoms of pre-menopause, post-menopause and menopause.

Where do bioidentical hormones come from?

Some of the bioidentical hormones come from soy and yams. Soybeans and wild yams are used because they contain compounds that can be converted into hormones compatible with the human body. Once they are removed from their original source, the hormones are chemically manipulated to match the human hormone to be replaced. Bioidentical hormones fit into the body's hormone receptors in the body. These plant hormones are perfect for our bodies, because we create the right kind of enzymes to metabolize them efficiently. Bioidentical hormones are used to stabilize and preserve the body's hormone balance. Although, nearly 75 percent of the consumers use BHRT for menopausal symptoms, they are also used to treat teens for acne, couples struggling with infertility, and women with PMS symptoms.

How are bioidentical hormones prepared?

If your doctor orders a specific type of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, a compounding pharmacy can prepare it for you. If your prescription isn't a unique cocktail of ingredients, you should be able to get your BHRT from a regular pharmacist, because they are in set doses that can just be taken off the shelf. Compounding pharmacists have special training in developing specialized mixtures and doses of bioidentical hormones to supply hormone replicas in the type and dosages specified on the prescription.

Do women gain weight with bioidentical hormone replacement therapy?

Women going through menopause without any hormone therapy gain about 10 pounds, on average. Women on artificial hormones (not bioidentical hormones) may gain 20 or more pounds. However, women taking bioidentical hormone replacement therapy normally gain less than 10 pounds. Once a woman has gone through 12 months or more without a monthly period, she is said to be in menopause, because her period will not likely come back. With BHRT a woman's period should taper off during pre-menopause and finally stop within a year. The discomforts that go along with pre-menopause usually decrease when bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is used. It is important that hormones, such as progesterone, estrogen and testosterone are kept in balance to preserve a healthy sex drive.

Conclusion

Once the doctor decides you are having a decline in your hormones, he/she will start you out on a static dose of bioidentical hormones daily. After 18 to 28 days has elapsed, the doctor might prescribe a fixed dose of bioidentical progesterone which replicates the progesterone previously made by your body.

There are different forms of BHRT; static dosing (starting out with a low dose and gradually increasing it) and rhythmic cycling (given to imitate the woman's monthly cycle). Static dosing is the easiest. With rhythmic cycling, the individual must chart when to take the hormones which are according to the lunar phases.

Static dosing is used most often; rhythmic cycling is comparatively new in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. BHRT can be administered by suppository, by injection, by application of cream, or taken orally. The good thing about bioidentical hormones is that there is less likelihood of a woman getting breast and ovarian cancer, if she uses bioidentical hormone replacement therapy instead of synthetic hormones.

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Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy

BHRT