Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is a relatively newer approach to treating symptoms of menopause and other hormone imbalances that can occur in the body. Females produce several different types of estrogen as well as progesterone throughout the course of their lives. As a person ages, the natural level of hormones in the body will decrease or can become otherwise imbalanced. For a woman going through menopause or perimenopause (the time period when a woman is still menstruating occasionally but the cycles are erratic and uneven), these hormone imbalances can cause symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness.
Many women going through menopause will notice some of these symptoms to varying degrees. By the mid-forties to early fifties, most women will begin to experience hot flashes, sweating during the night, mood swings, irregular periods, and vaginal dryness. These are entirely natural signs that your body is beginning to slow the production of estrogen and progesterone. For some women, the occasional hot flash or night sweat is not too discomforting and may be dealt with by making small lifestyle adjustments such as eating less hot or spicy foods, drinking cool beverages, avoiding caffeine and alcoholic drinks, etc. However, women who experience very bothersome or frequent symptoms during this period may benefit greatly from bioidentical hormone replacement therapy at the direction of their physician.
The term “bioidentical” means that hormones produced outside of the body (often from animals or plant extracts) that are used in these drugs are chemically identical to the ones made by your own body. There are many commercially-made hormone products available on the market. Some prescription treatments include oral drugs such as Premarin which is an estrogen-containing product made from the hormones found in horses, and creams such as Estrace which contain an estrogen derivative that can be applied vaginally to reduce symptoms such as dryness or itching/irritation.
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy focuses on using specially-made estrogen or progesterone-containing products that create the same effects in the body once their natural production has started to decline. If you are not able to tolerate a certain dose or dosage form of an existing product, your pharmacist can compound a unique delivery system or a different dose for you to use. If you are suffering from any of the menopausal symptoms discussed here, talk with your doctor or pharmacist about whether bioidentical hormone replacement therapy may be an option for you.
