Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy

How Is Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy Different Than Conventional Hormone Therapy? 

The meaning of bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is two-fold. 

On one hand, it’s meaning is derived from the natural substances from where it derives. For example, BHRT compounds are usually created from plant sources such as soybeans and wild yams; occasionally, these soybean and wild yam extracts will be synthesized, but only to make them more closely mirror the chemical structure as your own hormones. These substances more closely replicate human hormones in the body than Conventional Hormone Therapy (CHT) do. In many cases, CHT such as synthetic estrogen is derived from synthesizing compounds from horse by-products (ie, estrogen is synthesized from pregnant mare’s urine & contains numerous extra estrogens that the human body cannot process). 

Secondly, BHRT refers to the flexibility of dosing for the clinician. Because of the clinician’s ability to specifically compound the hormone exactly to a client’s individual needs, BHRT more closely replicates the biological states in the body. 

SAFETY 

BHRT and CHT differ greatly in their safety profile. In recent years, there have been two large studies – Million Women Study In the UK and US Women’s Health Initiative Trial -- that have shown the link between CHT and breast cancer, endometrial cancer, & ovarian cancer. Other studies have shown lack of benefit for preventing Alzheimer’s and have shown increased risk of heart disease and stroke. 

Allow me to interject a provocative thought: If puberty brings with it very high hormonal surges, then why don’t we see the incidences of female cancer, heart disease, and stroke increase during this time? This leaves us with the conclusion that there’s something significantly wrong with CHT. In the studies mentioned above, Progestin (on the market as Provera) was the culprit for increases the cancer risks and not conferring vascular protection. 

If you were to look at the research completed for BHRT, you would not find the same risks. One study (Hargrove et. al.; An alternative method of hormone replacement therapy using the natural sex steroids. Infert Repro Med Clin N Am. 1995;) demonstrated that BHRT reproduced identical benefits of synthetics with better outcomes and fewer side effects; because of this, BHRT improved patient compliance. Progesterone (do not confuse with Progestin/Provera) was shown to always be cancer and cardiac protective. 

What can I do about this? 

Trust me when I say that this is only the tip of the iceberg. There’s a lot more to treating hormone imbalances than meets the eye, but when done right, can give a person protection against numerous age-related illnesses such as Alzheimer’s, Osteoporosis, Heart Disease, Stroke, & Cancer. It will also likely help you feel more youthful and energetic, like you did in your 20’s. Each person’s treatment is customized to his or her own individual needs. The first step is to get a proper consultation and lab work. From there, a plan can be developed to get back in balance.