Important Information About Bioidentical Hormones

What you need to know about menopause & perimenopause

What is Menopause?

Menopause is the natural, gradual process of a woman’s reproductive system shutting down as she ages. Her lifetime supply of eggs is depleted, and her ovaries produce declining amounts of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Natural menopause typically happens between ages 41-59; a woman is considered to have reached menopause when she hasn’t menstruated for a full year. Common symptoms of menopause include flushing, hot flashes, night sweats, cold flashes, feeling clammy, irritability, anxiety, mood swings, sudden tears, depression, insomnia, diminished libido, weight-loss difficulties, chronic fatigue and more.

What is Perimenopause?

Perimenopause is the period of transition for a woman to natural menopause, during which hormone production is declining, causing bodily changes. Signs of perimenopause can begin as early as age 35; the average length of this transition is four years, but it can last longer six years. Common symptoms of perimenopause include irregular menstrual periods, vaginal dryness, hot flashes, mood swings, insomnia and more.

What you need to know about andropause & low-T

What is Andropause?

Andropause is like a male version of female menopause; it is the time of a man’s life during which the testosterone hormone levels produced by the testicles decline. Natural andropause typically happens between ages 45-55. Common symptoms of andropause and low testosterone levels – also known as low-T – include fatigue, insomnia, weight gain, muscle loss, aching joints, thinning hair, emotional unevenness, low libido and more.

Stethoscope Doctors Chart bioidentical hormone doctors

What You Need to Know About Bioidentical Hormones

Both bioidentical and synthetic hormones are produced in pharmaceutical laboratories using chemical means. But bioidentical hormones are made to be molecularly identical to our endogenous human hormones, while synthetic hormones involve altering the molecular structure.

Since bioidentical hormones are exact replicas of your body’s natural hormones, their effects are more like your own hormones. According to some studies, patients responded more quickly to bioidenticals – finding relief from hot flashes, mood swings and vaginal dryness within just a few days of use. Also, bioidentical hormones aren’t mass-produced; they are individually compounded in pharmacies, so they can be customized to meet your unique needs. In order to be patented, synthetic hormones must differ from human hormones, so they interact differently with your body’s hormone receptors, allowing for a higher chance of undesirable side effects.

Bioidentical hormones are available with a prescription at compounding pharmacies. Compounding uses raw ingredients the pharmacist can combine into a personalized blend, strength and dose, as prescribed by your healthcare practitioner. They are typically compounded into creams to be applied on the skin (transdermal) or vaginally (transmucomal). Compounding pharmacies are regulated by state pharmacy boards.

Hormones are chemical messengers, delivered to the tissues through the blood, that affect almost every bodily process, including growth and development, metabolism, mood, tissue regeneration, sexual function and reproduction. Bioidentical hormones are identical to the hormones produced naturally by your body: estradiol, estrone, estriol, progesterone and testosterone. Bioidentical hormones are produced from botanical plants – like soy or yams – pharmaceutically processed to exactly replicate the chemical structure of our endogenous hormones.

Hormone depletion affects almost every function of your body, from your blood vessels to your brain. The use of bioidentical hormones – also known as Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy, or BHRT – replaces lost hormones with identical replicas to help rebalance and restore your body’s systems. The result is often relief from the symptoms of hormone deficiency, from chronic fatigue to insomnia, from memory loss to loss of libido.

How can Bioidentical Hormones Help?

Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy replenishes your hormone levels, which can help relieve your symptoms and revitalize your overall sense of wellbeing. The proper BHRT program can help you maintain your energy, mood, passion and weight, among other benefits.