By Mila McManus, M.D.
Bio-identical hormones are hormones that are near identical to the hormones our bodies produce. This is in contrast to conventional hormone replacement therapy (a.k.a HRT) which uses FDA-approved synthetic hormone-like drugs, such as birth control pills and other synthetic hormones used to treat menopausal symptoms in women.
Some causes of hormone imbalance include stress, sleep deprivation, vitamin deficiencies, poor dietary habits, toxins, and side effects of various medications. The list of symptoms of hormonal imbalance is long. Some symptoms include fatigue, insomnia, depressed moods, decreased mental sharpness, anxiety, PMS, post-partum depression, decreased sex drive, unexplained weight gain and inability to lose weight, low motivation, headaches, hot flashes, night sweats, and irregular menstruation.
Benefits of balancing and optimizing hormones with both FDA-approved and bio-identical hormones include improvement or resolution of the above symptoms, improvement in bone density, preservation of brain function, reduced risk for heart disease, and increased overall sense of wellbeing, to name a few. Risks are minute. For instance, there is virtually no risk of blood clots with bio-identical progesterone.
A wonderful thing about bio-identical hormones is the ability to have them compounded into specific doses. For instance, one person may need 5mg twice daily of progesterone, while another may need 37.5mg twice daily. We can order various doses in various forms, such as creams, pills, lozenges, injections, and pellets. Doses are fine-tuned based on resolution of symptoms and other factors.
Note: Compounded bioidentical hormone therapies are not FDA-approved, and the FDA has stated there is no evidence that they are safer or more effective than FDA-approved hormone therapies.
