Bioidentical Hormones - Natural Estrogen Compounds

A woman’s body is known to have more than 50 hormones, and when even one is off balance, it can have a drastic effect on your life and health. Through Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT), countless women have brought their hormones back into balance and regained their lives. But with so many types of Hormone Replacement Therapy out there, how do you know which to choose?

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT)

Bioidentical Hormones are the natural alternative to synthetic hormones used in HRT. Unlike synthetic hormones, Bioidentical Hormones are chemically identical to the natural estrogen compounds that are produced in the body. Bioidentical Hormones can be metabolized normally by the body, unlike synthetic hormones, and therefore tend to be more effective and have fewer side effects than their synthetic counterparts.

To learn more about Bioidentical Hormones and how they can help improve your life, sign up for a free seminar held at Caddell's the last Saturday of each month.

You may be asking yourself, if bioidentical hormones are so much better, why don’t all HRTs use them? The answer may surprise you. Because biological compounds (like bioidentical hormones) cannot be patented, drug companies create synthetic hormones with minor chemical variations so they can be branded and marketed as a product. Some of these synthetic compounds are even derived from the urine of pregnant horses.

While the risks of both bioidentical and synthetic hormones are generally thought to be about the same, a study of over 100,000 women in Europe has shown that women receiving bioidentical hormones have a lower risk of cancer, blood clots, stroke, and heart attack than women who are not taking any type of HRT.

Like other HRT, BHRT consists of estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and DHEA and can be administered as creams, suppositories, oral medication, or injections. Caddell’s offers compounded BHRT, which is a mixture of hormones as prescribed by a doctor and mixed by a pharmacist. Because these medications are mixed in specially prescribed ratios, they can be more specifically tailored for each patients individual needs, and can be altered until the exact right balance is found.

The initial prescription is usually based on a detailed medical history, thorough checkup (to rule out other conditions) and a hormone screening. This screening will be repeated every 3 months or so to track the effectiveness of the prescription.

Some symptoms of imbalanced hormones are:

• Depression

• Weight gain

• Fatigue

• Loss of energy

• Hot flashes

• Night sweats

• Dry skin/wrinkles

• Heart palpitations

• Can’t sleep/waking often

• Anxiety/panic attacks

• Loss of sex drive

• Incontinence

• UTI’s/Yeast infections

• Memory lapse

• Hair loss

• Body aches

• Slow healing sores

• Mood swings

Resources:

http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/menopaus1/a/naturalmenopaus_2.html