Using bioidentical hormone therapy to find relief from menopause

Menopause is a natural condition that all women will experience in their lifetime. The term menopause describes a constellation of changes that generally occur in a womans fifties or sixties, with the symptoms of change often becoming noticeable in her forties. During this time, the ovaries stop producing eggs, menstrual cycles become less frequent and eventually stop, and estrogen and progesterone decline.

The hormonal decline that occurs with menopause causes uncomfortable symptoms that lead many women to seek relief. Relief is rumored to exist with a steady soy diet or acupuncture, but hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is known as the most effective. Many women, however, live in fear of hormone therapy, questioning its safety and the impact it will have on their long term health.

Traditional/Non-bioidentical vs. Bioidentical Hormones

This fear stems from the results of the 1991 long-term study on the safety and efficacy of hormone therapy, known as the Womens Health Initiative (WHI). The study tested synthetic, or traditional, hormone therapy on postmenopausal women. One branch of the study, which compared the effects of estrogen-only therapy with estrogen-progestin therapy, had to be halted early in 2002 due to adverse health conditions that developed among many of the subjects.

The subjects of the study were limited to postmenopausal women, with a combined average age of 68 years old. These two factors are significant - most of the women studied had been in a state of hormonal decline or complete loss of hormones for fifteen years or more, putting them at-risk for the development of diseases that estrogen, progesterone and testosterone might have prevented if administered earlier in their lifespan.

The WHI study used traditional/non-bioidentical hormones, not bioidentical hormones for therapies administered to these subjects. Unlike bioidentical hormones, non-bioidentical hormones are not designed to mimic the natural structure of human endogenous hormones. Instead, non-bioidentical hormones bind tightly to the specified cell receptors and initiate prolonged stimulation. This action inhibits the natural metabolic process designed for hormones metabolism and contributes to the bodys inability to wean the traditional hormones from your system.

The difference between bioidentical hormones and traditional hormones is deeply layered. Unlike bioidentical hormones, traditional hormones may be patented by pharmaceutical companies, therefore dosages vary from person to person by mere milligrams dictated by your doctor, while bioidentical hormones are prescribed precisely to meet your individual needs. Although traditional hormones can mimic the effects of hormones on certain biological pathways, they rarely offer the same effectiveness at a deeper, molecular level as your natural hormones. Bioidentical hormones, however, mimic the affinity human endogenous hormones have performing effectively within each biological, at all levels.

Relief from Symptoms of Menopause through BHRT

Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is a safe and effective means for women to find relief from symptoms of menopause. There are individual and combination therapies available, along with a variety of delivery methods. Physicians specializing in BHRT will assess your needs through detailed lab testing to determine which hormones and delivery methods are right for you.

EstrogenEstrogen is notoriously the female hormone. For women, it is linked to many, functions that impact beauty and function. Low estrogen often causes diminished sex drive because the vaginal walls become thinner and drier when this hormone is lacking - making intercourse painful. Orgasms may also become more difficult to achieve and less intense. Reduced estrogen causes a reduction in collagen - which is responsible for building skin and connective tissue - leading to thinner, drier and wrinkled skin

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Using bioidentical hormone therapy to find relief from menopause