Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is a newer, more advanced approach, to medicines that use hormones that are bio-chemically identical to the natural hormones that are produced in your body. Rather than your doctor prescribing you a medication that every other women who is going through menopause is on, it’s now available to you to have your hormone levels tested and to get a more individualized medication that suits your needs.

The hormones are mostly derived from plants or animals and have the same acting power as the hormones that are in your body naturally. As you age, certain hormones in your body begin to decrease, and this causes health problems, menopausal symptoms, and sometimes even emotional problems. By putting the hormones back into your body that you’ve lost, you can create a state of homeostasis that helps you to feel normal, or like you did before the symptoms started to exist.

Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is also sometimes called “Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy” since the hormones that pharmaceutical companies use to compound into human-like hormones, come from natural sources. They aren’t created in a lab like synthetic hormones.

Hormone replacement therapy allows for your doctor to provide you with different strengths, dosage form, and choice of drug. There are certain hormones that specifically decrease with age that cause symptoms with menopause, osteoporosis, and other conditions that may arise. Estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and androgen are some of the main hormones. The most common types of application for bioidentical hormones are pills, creams, patches, and sometimes injections. They can all be done in patient specific form, giving each patient optimum result. Bioidentical hormones also have the least amount of side effects, compared to use of synthetic hormones. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy seems to be the most logical, and prevalent choice among patients who need this type of treatment.

Submitted August 14, 2006

Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is a method used to help treat the symptoms of menopause. Although bioidentical hormones are not yet FDA approved, they are being used more and more across the world everyday. The FDA says that since they are considered to be natural, regardless of their source, they cannot be patented.

Bioidentical hormones, sometimes referred to as natural hormones, are those that are molecularly identical to the hormones that we produce in our bodies. Hormones and steroids are taken from plants and animals and altered to a state of identical molecular structure, then put into a form that can be taken by the patient: cream, oral, vaginal or injections.

The plants that are used to extract the hormones are soy and yams, while the animals are pigs or horses. Although these hormones become molecular identical to the ones we produce, they cannot be considered completely natural due to the fact that they are altered in a laboratory. Most women are worried about the source of the hormones more than the actual hormones, due to the fact that synthetic hormones, which have been around for years, have been found to carry health risks. Below is a list of products that are bioidentical, and non-bioidentical:

Bioidentical Estrogen

• Micronized estradiol/Estrace-Synthesized from soy and yam.
• Estradiol/Alora-Synthetic.
• Estradiol/Climara-Synthesized from soybeans.
• Estradiol/Estraderm-Synthesized from Mexican yams.
• Estradiol/Fem Patch-Synthetic.
• Estradiol/Vivelle, Vivelle-Dot-Synthesized from Mexican yams.
• Estradiol/Estring-Synthesized from Mexican yams.

Non-Bioidentical Estrogen

• Conjugated estrogens/Premarin-Pregnant mares' urine.
• Conjugated estrogens/Cenestin-Synthesized from soy and yams.
• Esterified estrogens (estrone, equilin)/Estra Tab-both estrone and equillin are synthesized from soy and yams.
• Esterified estrogens (estrone, equillin)/Menest-Both estrone and equillin are synthesized from soy and yams.
• Micronized estradiol/Estrace-Synthesized from soy and yams.
• Estropipate/Ogen-Synthesized from Mexican yams.
• Estropipate/Ortho-Est-Synthesized from yams.
• Ethinyl estradiol/Estinyl-Synthesized from Mexican yams.
• Estradiol cypionate/Depo-Estradiol-Synthetic.
• Estradiol valerate/Delestrogen-Synthetic.

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Submitted August 15, 2006

Healthcare professionals suggest that women should taper off ERT or HRT because during the time you have been taking the hormone supplements, your body has become accustomed to the very high levels of hormone supplementation and quitting "cold turkey" could cause a continuation of symptoms.

It’s recommended that you go from one estrogen (Premarin) tablet a day to one every other day for a month, then twice weekly for another month, and then, once a week for 2-3 weeks before stopping.  Progestins (Provera) can be stopped immediately without effect... supplement with a Progesterone and Estriol Cream immediately.  With Prempro, (estrogen and progestins), weaning and tapering off is also best done gradually and these women usually do best taking a natural progesterone as well as a natural Estriol cream.

To taper off the combo estrogen-progestin or estrogen patch, it’s recommended that you cut the patches in half, tape the edges and continue using it that way for a month, then cut patches into quarters for another month, and even eighths if symptoms warrant. Hold patches on with tape at the edges.  Begin natural hormone creams even before you begin to taper off health care provider's order HRT drugs.

If you do not feel like you are having symptoms as you taper off the hormones, you can speed up the process by accelerating your schedule. No symptoms mean you can even stop abruptly. Listen to your body; it’s your best advocate.  Some women do well with isoflavones and estrogenic herbal plants, like soy, black cohosh, licorice, red clover, dong quai, etc. Some women seem to get more symptoms. Again, it’s important to listen to your body.

Give yourself time. This gradual weaning process should help prevent the menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes or vaginal dryness, to reoccur. However, hot flashes sometimes do reoccur. Do not give up. Menopause is a normal process of life. More women have died from the treatment of menopause than from hot flashes and vaginal dryness. Synthetic hormones, on the other hand, can cause a variety of life-threatening conditions.  If you are still in menopause, your symptoms may begin again. If you are past menopause, you may experience hot flashes, night sweats, or mood changes. If they arise, do not taper your regimen any further until they subside.

Vaginal dryness may return within two to three months. Women should use an Estriol Cream vaginally and this should stop the dryness.  Natural hormone cream supplementations of Estriol and Progesterone Creams speeds up the process and some have been able to totally discontinue the use of HRT drugs in as few as 2-3 weeks.

Submitted August 20, 2006

Bioidentical hormones are custom-mixed formulas that contain various hormones which are chemically identical to the hormones that your body makes naturally. These products are sold over-the-counter, and are marketed as being customized to a woman's individual hormone needs. To determine each individual’s hormonal needs, your healthcare professional will typically test you through saliva hormone testing. Manufacturers claim that bioidentical hormones are safer than standard, FDA-approved hormone therapy.

According to the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), custom compounds may provide certain benefits, such as doses and mixtures of the hormones your healthcare professional determined that you need in particular, and are not available commercially. However, there also may be certain risks for those who use them. These compounds have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and as a result have not been tested for purity, potency, efficacy or safety. These products may even contain unknown contaminants.
Bioidentical estrogen and progesterone are available in FDA-approved hormone therapy products, including:

• Estradiol, which is derived from soy or yam sources, such as Estrace, Climara patch and Vivelle-Dot patch
• Natural progesterone (Prometrium)

• HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy)

Function: noun

1. hormone-replacement therapy

a. Medication containing one or more female hormones, commonly estrogen plus progestin (synthetic progesterone). Some women receive estrogen-only therapy (usually women who have had their uterus removed).

HRT is most often used to treat symptoms of menopause such as "hot flashes," vaginal dryness, mood swings, sleep disorders, and decreased sexual desire. This medication may be taken in the form of a pill, a patch, or vaginal cream.

Around fifty years ago the beginning of HRT started. With new research and knowledge, researches have found that with hormone replacement, a whole new era of medication has become available for anti-aging, and longer life expectancy. New scientific studies have given people a better understanding of how much sex hormones really affect disease as well as the aging process. HRT has shown new scientific evidence that it has the ability to restore, renew, regenerate and revitalize practically all aspects of your life. This varies from mental health, physical strength, and sexual well-being. Studies have proven that women who have tried this new estrogen replacement have lived longer than women who haven’t.

DHEA supplements are another that can be very beneficial to a woman’s energy level and their immunity. Changing a woman’s progesterone level can do so much for her well-being, that it almost seems like there is no reason not to try. The progesterone levels can relieve insomnia, help her sense of well being, and alleviate symptoms of PMS and or even menopause. It can also help with the prevention of some certain cancers.

Some women also can use testosterone replacement and that can help to raise libido and get relief from depression. Knowing what each of the hormones and terms used in relation to this kind of therapy can be an important part in keeping up and understanding the best things for you, and the questions you should be asking your doctor. One would assume that through-out your life these hormones would still be there and still be being produced, but research is finding that this may not necessarily be true. HRT is being researched so much and so rapidly because we know how important they are to our health and stability as a human. Replacement hormones can begin to make you feel younger almost immediately, and help to give you back the vital necessity to fight off disease.

Some research has also shown that HRT may help prevent osteoporosis, heart disease, short-term memory loss, depression and other diseases in post-menopausal women. There has also been some information on the contrary that led people to believe that some of the hormone therapy could lead to certain types of cancer. This information was released in 1999, but since then other research has been released. In 2002 scientists said that short term use of the hormone therapy would cause little to no chance of an increase in the likelihood of getting breast or ovarian cancer. It is even safer for women who are at a very low risk of breast cancer and other diseases. Therefore it is very important that the patient and the doctor really discuss all family history before making the correct decision for that individual person.

Estrogen and progesterone are the two most common hormones used in HRT, and they must be used in perfect balance in order for optimal results. It could become dangerous if a woman takes the estrogen without the progesterone because it could cause over-stimulation of the endometrium tissue, which is the lining of the uterus. This could lead to hyperplasia, which is an uncontrolled tissue growth that can lead to endometrial cancer. Progesterone counteracts this problem and that is why most women are prescribed both drugs at the same time. Although progesterone can be prescribed alone, it’s prescribed usually to prevent hot flashes or other problems caused by menopause.

Other recent research from Sweden suggests that HRT may be a huge help in assisting the health and improvement in cardiac function in postmenopausal women. This is said because of the proof that the combination of estrogen and progesterone shrink too large of heart muscles that could become dangerous. Although this has proven to work in women in their early to mid fifties, it could prove to have less of an effect in older women.

Submitted August 15, 2006

A study was performed that examined the effects of hormone replacement therapy in the life expectancy of postmenopausal women. The women had different pre-existing risks such as heart disease, breast cancer, and hip fracture.

Models were used to link risk factors to disease incidence and to estimate the lifetime risks of developing coronary heart disease (CHD), breast cancer, hip fracture, and endometrial cancer. The impact of hormone therapy on disease incidence was estimated from published epidemiologic studies.

Treatment in women consisted of both hormone replacement therapy and no hormone replacement therapy. This was used to determine an estimated life expectancy while using hormone replacement therapy, and not.

It was found that hormone replacement therapy should increase life expectancy for nearly all postmenopausal women, some gains exceeding 3 years. This was dependant mainly on an individual's risk factors for CHD and breast cancer. For women with at least 1 risk factor for CHD, hormone therapy should extend life expectancy, even for women having immediate relatives with breast cancer. Women without any risk factors for CHD or hip fracture, but who have 2 immediate relatives with breast cancer, however, should not receive hormone therapy.

It was decided that in the conclusion of this study the benefit of hormone replacement therapy in reducing the likelihood of developing CHD appears to outweigh the risk of breast cancer for nearly all women in whom this treatment might be considered. It was then supported that there should be a broader use of hormone replacement therapy in post-menopausal women to extend life expectancy.
 

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Submitted September 10, 2006

There are some risk and side effects relating to HRT. They can include: vaginal bleeding (starting or returning), breast tenderness (which often goes away after three months), nausea (which may resolve spontaneously), fluid retention, changes in the shape of the eye (sometimes leading to contact lens intolerance), headache, dizziness, depression, an increased risk for reduced tolerance to sugar and other carbohydrates and an increased risk for gallbladder disease. Studies have not confirmed that estrogen causes weight gain, yet, in some women, HRT causes water retention, and thus temporary weight increase. Some scientists have pointed out that there is an increased risk of breast or uterine cancer with HRT, especially when used without progesterone.

These side effects and risks associated with HRT have led millions of peri-menopausal and menopausal women to seek out herbal alternatives. Robert Rister, in his book Japanese Herbal Medicine, reports that in Japan, the usefulness of herbal medicine is growing rapidly among conventionally trained medical doctors. In 1976 only 42 herbal formulas had been approved by the Japanese FDA, with only 19.2% of Japanese medical doctors utilizing herbal medicine. In 1996 148 formulas had been approved by the Japanese FDA, and it is estimated today that almost 77% of Japanese medical doctors, who have every method of modern medicine available to them, prescribe herbal formulas. This increased use of herbal medicine has been driven by hundreds of scientific studies validating the effectiveness of herbal formulas. Sixty percent of these Japanese doctors consider herbal formulas to be the first choice for some diseases. Rister reports, “In cases where standard medications deliver predictable results without side effects, Japanese doctors prefer synthetic drugs to Kampo (herbal medicine). These doctors, however, note seven situations for which Kampo (herbal formulas) are especially suitable, and menopause is most definitely one of them.”
 

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Submitted August 12, 2006

When you go online and look at all the different opinions about HRT of scientists and healthcare professionals, you may become overwhelmed by the wide spectrum of information. Different studies and come to different conclusions, and the results varied depending on the participants as well as the variables. We are all constantly trying to come up with the answers because there are so many positive benefits, but negative ones as well: so which outweighs which?

Personally, I’m not sure that anyone can give you a definitive answer, so here is what we do know for sure. You and only you know your body, and ultimately it’s you who needs to make the decision whether or not to begin or stop HRT, if you are willing to ignore the risks in order to feel better in the long run, and if it’s working enough to make you feel like “normal” or how you used to.

- It’s estimated that about 14 million women take HRT. Six million take a combination of estrogen and progestin and eight million take estrogen alone.

- HRT has been prescribed for nearly 50 years in various doses and combinations.

- Researchers at Tufts University Medical School demonstrated that estrogen-mimicking chemicals make human breast cancer cells multiply in the laboratory, just as natural estrogen does.

- An increased risk of endometrial cancer (if a woman still has her uterus and is not taking progesterone along with estrogen).

- Increased risk of blood clots and stroke.

- Increased risk of breast cancer in women who are taking estrogen-progestin combination therapy for extended periods of time. Estrogen alone has not been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer in the estrogen-alone arm of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study.

- Increased risk of heart disease in women taking estrogen-progestin combination therapy. Estrogen alone has not been shown to increase the risk of heart disease in the estrogen-alone arm of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study.

Known Benefits of HRT:

- Reduces the symptoms of "hot flashes."

- By keeping bones strong, HRT can help prevent osteoporosis - osteoporosis refers to thinning or weakening of bones. All people experience some thinning of the bones at 35-40 years old, and thinning of bones or osteoporosis makes people susceptible to broken bones. Estrogen supplements slow down the process of bone deterioration, there isn’t a study out yet that directly links HRT with the prevention of osteoporosis.

- Decreases pain and irritation caused by vaginal dryness. At menopause, the decrease in estrogen production may cause dryness, burning, or itching in and around the vagina. These symptoms may be alleviated by HRT

- Reduce cholesterol- HRT raises high-density lipoprotein ("good cholesterol"), while lowering low-density lipoprotein ("bad cholesterol"). Elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein or "bad cholesterol" may increase the risk of heart attacks. Thus, HRT appears to reduce or prevent heart attacks by lowering cholesterol levels.

- Improvement of mood and overall sense of mental well-being in some women

- Decreased tooth loss

- Lowered risk of colon cancer
 

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Submitted August 1, 2006

When beginning a hormone replacement regimen it’s not only important to follow your doctor’s orders on the hormones and medications, there are also many changes in your daily life that your doctor will usually tell you to alter. One of the first and most important is your diet.

Some people have said that they feel the best if they eat a low carbohydrate diet while others feel best on a high fiber, high complex-carbohydrate diet. Some people find they feel best on the Zone diet, while others feel best on the Blood Type Diet, a vegan diet, or macrobiotic diet. Some will obviously work better than others depending on your body type. The best way to start is by consulting your physician or a nutritionist since some people have food allergies, and find out the best diet for you. How you feel is the first and most important thing in this type of therapy. "Biochemical individuality" is the term used to find out exactly what is best for you and your needs. Just as each of us have a different face and body type, each of us also have unique biochemical needs which are represented by the foods and supplements which help us reach optimum nutrition and make us feel best. It’s best not to try to find this out on your own, because a physician or nutritionist will be able to help to lead you in the right direction that will be most beneficial for your body.

Most Americans eat poorly, so the next step is to find out the “goods” and the “bads” of what you eat from day to day. A start to healthy eating is to clean out your cabinets. Get rid of all the highly fattening, sugary foods, and food that are re-structured "trans" fats such as hydrogenated vegetable oil, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, or vegetable shortening. They've also been associated with atherosclerosis, some types of cancer and all inflammatory illnesses, like arthritis, eczema, irritable bowel syndrome and more. These fats play at least as large a role in heart disease as do saturated fats. You'll find them in most crackers, cookies, and packaged foods. Foods with lots of preservatives and additives are no good either. These are just empty calories and deplete the actual vitamins you should be getting.

An easy start to eating healthier is just by eating local foods that are in season. That way you know that they haven’t been ridden with preservatives to be shipped from another state or country. Another easy way to know if a food has a lot of preservative in it is whether or not you know it will spoil. If it will, you know that it’s natural and still containing the vitamins and minerals it’s supposed to. An array of fruits and vegetables are great, as well as food with high fiber. Fruits and vegetables also provide us with fiber and each month we find out more and more about the positive effects they have on protecting us from heart disease as well as cancer. Water is another important basic in keeping our bodies hydrated as well as cleansing our body naturally of toxins and other bad stuff we encounter naturally everyday.

This is just a brief start to the basics of eating healthier. Look into what diet you think might be the best one for you before making any dramatic changes in your diet.

It’s true that there are some forms of hormone therapy used for the treatment of menopausal symptoms that may cause light, monthly bleeding. But hormone therapy should not cause heavy flow with clots. If you experience heavy flows with blood clots, then you should know that this type of bleeding is abnormal and should be evaluated by your physician promptly.

Other potential causes of abnormal bleeding during or after menopause include:

- Shrinking or thinning of tissue lining the vagina and uterus due to a decrease in estrogen

- Uterine polyps or fibroids

- Infections of the uterus, such as cervicitis

- Endometrial hyperplasia — a non-cancerous condition in which the lining of the uterus (endometrium) grows too rapidly

- Endometrial cancer

In addition to a careful history and physical examination, laboratory tests and diagnostic procedures may be used to identify the cause of abnormal bleeding in menopausal women. If you have concerns, be sure to get it checked out. It may be a normal side effect, but if it’s not, there’s no reason to experience more uncomfortable side effects than you already are, or to put your body at risk.

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When I Find a Doctor for HRT, What Should I Ask?

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Some Natural Remedies That May be Used in Place of HRT, or in Addition