subject: Bioidentical Hormones And Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy [print this page] Bioidentical Hormones And Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy
Bioidentical hormones are hormone preparations that are made to have the same molecular structure as the hormones produced by the human body. These are plant based and are derived from plant sources like soy and yam.
Because they are made to be molecularly identical to a woman's hormones, these preparations have been used to relieve menopausal symptoms by replacing female hormones that decline as a woman ages.
Menopause is a phase of life that is inevitable for every woman. The symptoms that come with menopause may prove to be a dreadful experience for a lot of women. Some of these symptoms may disrupt her normal activities and may seriously affect the quality of her life.
But women do not have to just sit and bear these difficulties. There are several options available to assuage the distress and anxiety that normally accompany this life change.
One of these options is bioidentical hormone replacement therapy or BHRT. This is different from conventional hormone replacement therapy in that it uses natural hormones that are similar to a woman's own hormones. Hormones used in conventional hormone replacement therapy use synthetic preparations that, as development in recent years have established, may do more harm than good and cause breast, uterine and ovarian cancers.
Bioidentical hormones are generally used to give relief to the symptoms of menopause that many women experience including hot flashes, vaginal dryness and night sweating. And because the hormones are identical to a woman's natural hormones, bioidentical hormones are claimed to mimic a woman's natural cycle, thus, correcting the imbalances that menopause brings.
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy has been practiced for years for the relief of menopausal symptoms, with the first recorded uses in the 1930's. However, it is only recently that it gained popularity, causing quite a stir and is now the subject of much controversy.
The controversy mainly lies in the preparation's efficacy and safety. Proponents of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy claim that since the preparation is derived from natural plant sources, it poses less risk than conventional hormone replacement therapy. Dissenters, however, point out that there are not enough scientific bases to back up these claims.
Much debate has been made on the safety of therapies available for menopause symptoms. Some proponents of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy claim that rejection of this is a ploy hatched by pharmaceutical companies to ward off its entry and acceptance in the market. The FDA has also rejected the saliva-testing method employed to assess each individual's hormonal needs as this testing method is not able to reflect the real blood hormone levels.
But one thing is clear. Several choices for treatment are available and the use of bioidentical hormones is only one of the many choices that you can make. Study and learn all the available alternatives and make informed choices. Discuss the pros and cons of every alternative with your physician. It is only in this way that you will be able to make the right choice.
