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Bioidentical hormones, also referred to as natural hormones, are used to treat menopause, perimenopause, and post-menopause symptoms. These hormones are much like the hormones that are produced in the body. They are metabolized, stored, and converted into other hormones naturally. The primary advantage of BHRT is that treatment doses are individualized.

Most bioidentical hormones are chemically-synthesized from diosgenin, a cholesterol-like molecule found in plants and then altered to be identical in molecular structure to the body’s natural hormones. They are available as a cream, oral, suppository or injections.

For most women, if they have been on BHRT for a lengthy period of time, or just began treatment, the dosage may have to be adjusted because women’s bodies and hormone levels are prone to changes.

Symptoms that may indicate that your BHRT may require adjustment include hot flashes night sweat, insomnia, vaginal dryness, reduced sex drive, yeast infections, and painful intercourse. As well, there have been incidents of heart palpitations and dry skin and hair. If one’s estrogen level is too high, symptoms can include a desire to eat sweet foods and there will be an increase in weight. There can also be such symptoms as water retention, swelling and tenderness of the breasts, as well as anxiety related symptoms. If one’s progesterone levels are too low, symptoms can include: weight gain, depression, mood changes, migraines, anxiety, acne, joint pain, and a low sex drive. As well, there can be drowsiness, bloating, and yeast infections. The individual symptoms are associated with either low or high progesterone and estrogen levels. Your doctor will have you tested to find out what hormone level that is lacking, or in surplus.

Testosterone is another hormone within BHTH treatment that may require adjustment. Low testosterone levels can result in fatigue, low sex drive, muscle weakness, heart palpitations, bone loss, fibromyalgia, bladder leakage, vaginal dryness, as well as some memory difficulties. Too high testosterone levels can cause acne, insomnia, irritability, loss of scalp hair, facial hair growth, and mood swings.

The symptoms will be reversed once the appropriate hormone levels have been adjusted. The main value of hormone replacement therapy is that it can be adapted to fit your own individual hormone needs. Because everyone is unique, they require an individualized hormone replacement therapy customized to meet their individual hormonal needs. As well, eating healthy foods and exercising regularly are important aspects of successful bio-identical hormone treatment. If a woman’s hormones are out of balance, her body will not effectively respond to better nutrition and exercise. As your hormones level off, one will begin to feel much better and will have improved energy, spirit, and thought processes.

Bioidentical hormones are considered one of the most effective treatments for menopausal symptoms. Many women look to bioidentical hormone replacement therapy to relieve their symptoms. Research has shown that menopausal treatment with BHRT reveals important distinctions between bioidentical and non-bioidentical hormones and replacing lost hormones because of menopause drastically relieves menopausal symptoms and improves and enhances one’s quality of life. Article Source:

If you are just starting out on bio-identical hormones or you have been on them for several years, at some point in time you may want to adjust your dosage. Women’s bodies change all the time and hormone levels also change. In order to know what you need to do just follow these simple suggestions. If your estrogen level is too low you will experience hot flashes and night sweats. Some women have trouble falling asleep and also trouble staying asleep. You may experience vaginal symptoms such as dryness, low sex drive, yeast infections and maybe painful intercourse. Low estrogen can cause mild depression, foggy thinking, and memory lapses. Your skin and hair can appear dry and some women complain of heart palpitations. If your estrogen level is too high you will experience weight gain and craving for sweets. Some women have breast symptoms such as swelling, tenderness or fibroids. High estrogen levels can make you irritable, nervous with anxiety, experience mood swings, and feelings of fatigue. High estrogen or progesterone can cause swelling or water retention. If your progesterone levels are too low the symptoms are going to be very similar to excess estrogen. These symptoms include headache, anxiety, acne, weight gain, mild depression, mood swings and fuzzy thinking. Your sex drive may be low and you may experience some joint pain. If your progesterone levels are too high the symptoms are going to be very similar to estrogen deficiency. These symptoms include drowsiness, GI bloating, breast swelling, yeast infections, headache or mild depression. If your testosterone level is too low you will experience prolonged fatigue and blunted motivation. Some women describe these feelings as not wanting to get out of bed in the morning. Low sex drive and vaginal dryness is associated with low testosterone and is the number one reason testosterone is prescribed. Some women with low levels will experience memory problems, muscle weakness, heart palpitations, bone loss, fibromyalgia, and thin skin. Sphincter control is associated with testosterone and you would experience bladder leakage when coughing, sneezing or laughing. If your testosterone level is too high you will experience acne, insomnia, irritability or moodiness. You can also pick up male type patterns such as deepening of the voice, loss of scalp hair, facial hair growth or clitoral enlargement. All of these effects are completely reversible once the dosage has been lowered or you quit using testosterone supplementation.

Bioidentical hormones are natural hormones, not synthetic. They match the molecular structure of the hormones that are produced by one’s body exactly and are not made in a lab. When being used for hormone replacement, Bioidentical hormones move through one’s bloodstream and attach to their appropriate receptors. Once attached, optimal hormonal equilibrium may be reached safely and effectively.

Along with your bioidentical hormone regimen, it is important not to use it as a crutch. Regular exercise is necessary, the quality and amount of food one intakes is very important, and getting sufficient sleep is crucial. Once getting started on BHRT, one critical thing to remember is – Be Patient! Some patients may start feeling better within a week, and with others who are more hormonally imbalanced it may take a few months to see dramatic improvements.

As one ages, hormone loss occurs and its effects may diminish sex drive, memory, bone density, along with leading to arthritis and high blood pressure. As one begins BHRT, some of the symptoms being experienced may see improvements right away such as insomnia, moodiness, and sex drive problems. But more likely than not all of one’s symptoms will not be corrected quickly, so the process is more of a marathon rather than a sprint.

What exactly can one expect when the hormone levels are replaced to the proper balance and ratios? The benefits include better sleep patterns, increased sex drive, more energy, increased vitality and creativity, better moods, less wrinkles, and diminished hot flashes. Blood pressure may decrease and weight loss is often seen. BHRT is a true anti-aging opportunity.

What one wants it to recreate the hormonal levels seen in one’s prime. Not to achieve a normal hormonal balance for someone necessarily in one’s current age group. If one is 65, achieving normal hormones for a 65 year old is suboptimal – achieving that of a 20 year old is better!

There are two types of bioidentical hormone dosing. The first is termed “static” and refers to patients receiving the same dose each day of the month. Or receiving the same dose on certain days of the month, such as a patient receiving a “static” dose of estradiol every day of the month and then a “static” dose of progesterone for the last 10 days of the month. Blood tests are utilized to determine how well the hormone levels are approaching the optimal levels and dosages are adjusted accordingly.

The second type of BHRT is termed “rhythmic cycling”. This is fairly new and subject to research studies comparing it to “static” dosing. It is well known that the human body makes hormones cyclically during the month and not in the same amounts every day. Rhythmic cycling attempts to match this cyclical production and prevent cells from proliferating too much. Which method of BHRT is best has not been definitively proven.

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The recent Lancet publication of the Million Women Study (MWS) removes any lingering doubt that there’s something wrong with conventional HRT. Why would supplemental estrogen and a progestin (e.g. not real progesterone) increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer by 30 percent or more? Other studies found that these same synthetic HRT hormones increase one’s risk of heart disease and blood clots (strokes), and do nothing to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. When you pass through puberty and your sex hormones surge, they don’t make you sick—they cause your body to mature into adulthood and be healthy. But, the hormones used in conventional HRT are somehow not right—they are killing women by the tens of thousands.

The question is—where do we go from here? My answer is—we go back to the basics and find out where our mistake is. I have some ideas on that.

Over the years I have adopted a simple set of three rules covering hormone supplementation. When these rules are followed, women have a decreased risk of breast cancer, heart attacks, or strokes. They are much less likely to get fat, or have poor sleep, or short term memory loss, fibrocystic breasts, mood disorders or libido problems. And the rules are not complicated.

Rule 1. Give hormones only to those who are truly deficient in them.

The first rule is common sense. We don’t give insulin to someone unless we have good evidence that they need it. The same is true of thyroid, cortisol and all our hormones. Yet, conventional physicians routinely prescribe estrogen or other sex hormones without ever testing for hormone deficiency. Conventional medicine assumes that women after menopause are estrogen-deficient. This assumption is false. Twenty-five years ago I reviewed the literature on hormone levels before and after menopause, and all authorities agreed that over two-thirds (66 percent) of women up to age 80 continue to make all the estrogen they need. Since then, the evidence has become stronger. Even with ovaries removed, women make estrogen, primarily by an aromatase enzyme in body fat and breasts that converts an adrenal hormone, androstenedione, into estrone. Women with plenty of body fat may make more estrogen after menopause than skinny women make before menopause.

Breast cancer specialists are so concerned about all the estrogen women make after menopause that they now use drugs to block the aromatase enzyme. Consider the irony: some conventional physicians are prescribing estrogens to treat a presumed hormone deficiency in postmenopausal women, while others are prescribing drugs that block estrogen production in postmenopausal women.

How does one determine if estrogen deficiency exists? Any woman still having monthly periods has plenty of estrogen. Vaginal dryness and vaginal mucosal atrophy, on the other hand, are clear signs of estrogen deficiency. Lacking these signs, the best test is the saliva hormone assay. With new and better technology, saliva hormone testing has become accurate and reliable. As might be expected, we have learned that hormone levels differ between individuals; what is normal for one person is not necessarily normal for another. Further, one must be aware that hormones work within a complex network of other hormones and metabolic mediators, something like different musicians in an orchestra. To interpret a hormone’s level, one must consider not only its absolute level but also its relative ratios with other hormones that include estradiol, progesterone and testosterone, but cortisol and thyroid as well.

For example, in healthy women without breast cancer, we find that the saliva progesterone level routinely is 200 to 300 times greater than the saliva estradiol level. In women with breast cancer, the saliva progesterone/estradiol ratio is considerably less than 200 to 1. As more investigators become more familiar with saliva hormone tests, I believe these various ratios will become more and more useful in monitoring hormone supplements.

Serum or plasma blood tests for steroid hormones should be abandoned—the results so obtained are essentially irrelevant. Steroid hormones are extremely lipophilic (fat-loving) and are not soluble in serum. Steroid hormones carry their message to cells by leaving the blood flow at capillaries to enter cells where they bond with specific hormone receptors in order to convey their message to the cells. These are called “free” hormones. When eventually they circulate through the liver, they become protein-bound (enveloped by specific globulins or albumin), a process that not only seriously impedes their bioavailability but also makes them water soluble, thus facilitating their excretion in urine. Measuring the concentration of these non-bioavailable forms in urine or serum is irrelevant since it provides no clue as to the concentration of the more clinically significant “free“ (bioavailable) hormone in the blood stream.

When circulating through saliva glands, the “free” non–protein-bound steroid hormone diffuses easily from blood capillaries into the saliva gland and then into saliva. Protein-bound, non-bioavailable hormones do not pass into or through the saliva gland. Thus, saliva testing is far superior to serum or urine testing in measuring bioavailable hormone levels.

Serum testing is fine for glucose and proteins but not for measuring “free” steroid hormones. Fifty years of “blood” tests have led to the great confusion that now befuddles conventional medicine in regard to steroid hormone supplementation.

Rule 2. Use bioidentical hormones rather than synthetic hormones.

The second rule is also just common sense. The message of steroid hormones to target tissue cells requires bonding of the hormone with specific unique receptors in the cells. The bonding of a hormone to its receptor is determined by its molecular configuration, like a key is for a lock. Synthetic hormone molecules and molecules from different species (e.g. Premarin, which is from horses) differ in molecular configuration from endogenous (made in the body) hormones. From studies of petrochemical xenohormones, we learn that substitute synthetic hormones differ in their activity at the receptor level. In some cases, they will activate the receptor in a manner similar to the natural hormone, but in other cases the synthetic hormone will have no effect or will block the receptor completely. Thus, hormones that are not bioidentical do not provide the same total physiologic activity as the hormones they are intended to replace, and all will provoke undesirable side effects not found with the human hormone. Human insulin, for example, is preferable to pig insulin. Sex hormones identical to human (bioidentical) hormones have been available for over 50 years.

Pharmaceutical companies, however, prefer synthetic hormones. Synthetic hormones (not found in nature) can be patented, whereas real (natural, bioidentical) hormones cannot. Patented drugs are more profitable than non-patented drugs. Sex hormone prescription sales have made billions of dollars for pharmaceutical companies thus are women’s health sacrificed for commercial profit.

Rule 3. Use only in dosages that provide normal physiologic tissue levels.

The third rule is a bit more complicated. Everyone would agree, I think, that dosages of hormone supplements should restore normal physiologic levels. The question is—how do you define normal physiologic levels? Hormones do not work by just floating around in circulating blood; they work by slipping out of blood capillaries to enter cells that have the proper receptors in them. As explained above, protein-bound hormones are unable to leave blood vessels and bond with intracellular receptors. They are non-bioavailable. But they are water-soluble, and thus found in serum, whereas the “free” bioavailable hormone is lipophilic and not water soluble, thus not likely to be found in serum. Serum tests do not help you measure the “free,” bioavailable form of the hormone. The answer is saliva testing.

It is quite simple to measure the change in saliva hormone levels when hormone supplementation is given. If more physicians did that, they would find that their usual estrogen dosages create estrogen levels 8 to 10 times greater than found in normal healthy people, and that progesterone levels are not raised by giving supplements of synthetic progestin such as medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA).

Further, saliva levels (and not serum levels) of progesterone will clearly demonstrate excellent absorption of progesterone from transdermal creams. Transdermal progesterone enters the bloodstream fully bioavailable (i.e., without being protein-bound). The progesterone increase is readily apparent in saliva testing, whereas serum will show little or no change. In fact, any rise of serum progesterone after transdermal progesterone dosing is most often a sign of excessive progesterone dosage. Saliva testing helps determine optimal dosages of supplemented steroid hormones, something that serum testing cannot do.

It is important to note that conventional HRT violates all three of these rules for rational use of supplemental steroid hormones.

A 10-year French study of HRT using a low-dose estradiol patch plus oral progesterone shows no increased risk of breast cancer, strokes or heart attacks. Hormone replacement therapy is a laudable goal, but it must be done correctly. HRT based on correcting hormone deficiency and restoring proper physiologic balanced tissue levels, is proposed as a more sane, successful and safe technique.

Other Factors

Hormone imbalance is not the only cause of breast cancer, strokes, and heart attacks. Other risk factors of importance include the following:

• Poor diet (excess sugar and refined starches, trans fatty acids, lack of needed nutrients such as omega-3 fats, full range of essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals, etc.)
• Environmental xenoestrogens and hormones not removed by water treatment. (Be sure that your home water filter will remove hormones.).
• Insulin resistance.
• Stress.
• Lifestyle problems such as excess light at night (poor sleep, melatonin deficiency), alcohol, cadmium (cigarette smoking), and birth control pills during early teens.

Men share these risks equally with women. Hormone imbalance and exposure to these risk factors in men leads to earlier heart attacks, lower sperm counts and higher prostate cancer risk.

Conclusion

Conventional hormone replacement therapy (HRT) composed of either estrone or estradiol, with or without progestins (excluding progesterone) carries an unacceptable risk of breast cancer, heart attacks and strokes. I propose a more rational HRT using bioidentical hormones in dosages based on true needs as determined by saliva testing. In addition to proper hormone balancing, other important risk factors are described, all of which are potentially correctable. Combining hormone balancing with correction of other environmental and lifestyle factors is our best hope for reducing the present risks of breast cancer, strokes and heart attacks.

For women, Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is an aid for alleviating the symptoms of menopause or preventing osteoporosis.  Synthetic hormones, made in laboratories, are introduced to the body for preventing or treating some medical conditions; these are man–made yet act very similar to the hormones produced by the body.  Through the years, medical practitioners continuously prescribed HRT with the anticipation for breakthroughs in osteoporosis, heart disease or cancer prevention in addition to easing symptoms of menopause.

Women in the menopause can benefit from Hormone Replacement Therapy.  Some of the known advantages from HRT are to prevent heart disease, osteoporosis and some cancers that are not easily detected.  However, the most important amongst advantages is to control menopause symptoms. During menopause a woman’s body experiences a decline in the production of estrogen.  Usually hot flashes, night sweats and sleep disruption, vaginal dryness, development of hair on the face, muscle tone in the bladder and urethra is lost, skin changes and probably the most annoying experience is mood swing.  These greatly impact the daily life of a woman one way or another.  For example, since bladder muscle tone degenerates, the urge of urination increases and even for simple actions like sneezing, laughing or coughing, urine leakage most likely occurs.

Our bodies and minds thrive on change, so why not start the New Year with some fresh exercises? If your workouts get stale, your mind gets bored and your muscles don’t work as hard. With a few small changes, you’ll feel better and your body will respond by toning up quickly.

Change the sequence of your exercises.
Suppose you always do your cardio first, then your strength-training, with stretching at the end. Instead, mix up the order. Warm up with light cardio to get blood-flow to the muscles, but then lift weights and resume cardio afterwards.

If you try stretching first, do a little aerobic movement first to warm up the muscles, joints, and connective tissue.

Vary the intensity of each exercise.
This is important if you want to see and feel progress. By varying the intensity of your exercise, you will tone up quickly.

If you use a machine for your cardio, use the workout settings to switch things up. If you cardio-train outside, include sprints, hill climbs, and fartlek training. For strength-training, use supersets and pyramids, and add extra sets. For stretching, try yoga or a different style of yoga.

Exercise at different times of the day.
This is a tough one. If your lifestyle and schedule allow it, then get your workout at different times. If trying this ‘un-pattern’ causes you to miss workouts, then go back to your regular times.

You can also add mini-workouts to your day. And include more physical activity in your day. The easiest way to do this is by doing household routines the old-fashioned way. Get rid of the clickers: get up to change TV channels, and go yank that garage door to open or shut it. Rake or shovel instead of using pollution-causing blowers.

Practice Active Rest on your off-days.
You don’t need too many rest days each week. Unless you are training for a specific event like bodybuilding or a race, you only need one or two rest days per week.

But your body will respond well if you practice active rest techniques. These include ice or cold compress applications, hot tub baths and sauna therapy, getting a massage, and very-light exercise like walking or gentle yoga.

If you make these changes to your exercise workouts, your mind and body will appreciate them. They will show their appreciation by getting you toned up quickly, and by staying motivated and challenged!

Reversing the process of aging is almost impossible. However, with the advent of biotechnological advancement, hormone replacement therapy for a younger & healthier body helps improve life for men who’re into their middle age and beyond.

Sexual hormones see a steady downfall with increase in age in incidence and quantity for both genders. So far, however, the reduction in sex hormones has been considered crucial only in women, making them resort to Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) during theirmenopause, to help them alleviate drastic menopausalsymptoms such as osteoporosis, hot flashes, etc.

In distinction, hormone-replacement therapy (MHRT) for men has rarely been approved for fit, elder men. Current proof advocates that men might be able to stay trimmer, well-built, more contented, and virile for a higher duration of time if they consumed supplements to compensate for the testosterone that is lost as a result of aging.

Testosterone-replacement therapy has been put to test in various groups, and its impact is very evident especially in an overall improvement in functionality and well being. There have been inadequate scientific research of its lasting effects and experts remain worried that hormone supplements might increase the threat of the onset of prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease.

The consumption of testosterone by aging men, better perceived as male hormone replacement therapy and more specifically, androgen replacement therapy, has captured the interest of the medical community as well as lay people for the past ten years or more. Although information of the probable advantages and threats of male Androgen Replacement Therapy is greater than before, there is still a good deal that needs to be found out. Though there are a considerable amount of possible benefits of male Androgen Replacement  and statistics regarding the irrefutable impacts of such substitution have built up, but so far there have not been any large scale trials of this therapy.

Being the chief masculinizing hormone (androgen), testosterone stimulates bone and muscle growth and promotes development of male genitalia. During the onset of puberty in young males, responding to an indicator from the hypothalamus in the brain, the pituitary gland induces specific cells in the testicles to augment the amount of testosterone production in the body. This hormonal rush brings about sex drive and sperm production, induces acne, facial and pubic hair, and cracks the voice. Testosterone is produced women as well but not to the extent to which it is produced in men.

In grown up men, the testicles create about seven milligrams of testosterone on a day to day basis, with production normally being elevated in the early morning than at other time of the day.

Menopause, or the permanent end of menstruation and fertility, is a natural part of the female biological process. The physical and emotional symptoms of menopause can disrupt a woman’s sleep, decrease her energy, and in some cases trigger feelings of sadness and loss.  Many women consider these negative experiences as unavoidable effects of the onset of menopause, but new research has shown that these symptoms are not merely “facts of life” a woman must accept- rather, they are preventable effects caused by hormonal imbalances within the body. Many women are choosing to seek beneficial treatment for the unnecessary discomforts that can periodically occur during menopause, leading them to learn more about the various treatments offered by their physicians, such as Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT). Although these treatments have similar aims, there are important differences that the informed patient must be aware of before making a decision on which option is best for her health and well being needs.

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is a treatment in which hormones are given to prevent or treat health conditions common in menopausal women, such as osteoporosis. The hormones used in HRT are synthetic hormones, which means that they are created and developed in the laboratory and are not produced naturally by the body. However, they act as natural hormones once inside the body.  Doctors primarily prescribe HRT because they hope that it could help guard against certain diseases that menopausal-age women are at increased risk: heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, thyroid disease, and some forms of cancer.

In addition to its preventative effects on many illnesses, studies show that Hormone Replacement Therapy dissociates fat mass and bone mass and tends to reduce weight gain in early postmenopausal women. However, because of the synthetic nature of the hormones used in the treatment, HRT may pose potential risks to a woman’s overall health. Hence, it is important to talk to your doctor about HRT, learn the facts about possible risks and side-effects, and explore the information available about new alternatives, such as Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy.

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy, or BHRT, is growing in popularity among the medical community because it is considered to be a more biologically harmonious option than standard Hormone Replacement Therapy, a factor that can lead to significant and sustained success in the treatment goals. Because bioidentical hormones have the same chemical structure as the hormones produced within the human body, they are less likely to be rejected by the sensitive human immune system.   Medical scientists on the forefront of BHRT research derive all of the material for the new treatment from strictly organic material, as opposed to the standard HRT which uses pharmaceutical materials manufactured in laboratories derived from manipulating chemicals into compounds similar to those found in human body tissue.

The greatest advantage BHRT has over its traditional HRT counterpart is the flexibility that the technology provides during a specific patient’s treatment. HRT hormones are manufactured by the drug companies in standardized doses which limit the private physician’s freedom in adjusting the amount and type of hormones administered to the patient. BHRT hormones, on the other hand, provide the physician and the patient a greater degree of autonomy in determining the amount and type of hormonal supplements administered because each specific treatment is customized to each woman’s specific needs. Hence, a physician can determine what factors pose the most risk to his or her patient (such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and so forth), and then customize the BHRT treatment plan based on these assessments and the personal feedback received from the patient.

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) has been proposed as a good alternative to Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy is primarily used in the treatment of menopause in women. Because the therapy is prescribed and implemented under the guidance of one’s personal physician, the specific combination of hormones in BHRT are specifically catered to every individual patient.

When a physician feels his or her patient can benefit from Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy, the doctor prescribes specialized medications containing estrogen, progesterone, or other hormones that are exact chemical duplicates of hormones produced by women, primarily in the ovaries. Some patients today hold the opinion that all drugs used in hormone replacement therapies expose menopausal women to unnecessary side-effects. However, this is not true. Because they are identical to the hormones that are present naturally in the human body, treatments that effectively balance their levels in women can have countless beneficial effects, both physically and psychologically.

Menopause is the reproductive change in women past a particular age- the onset of which differs from culture to culture, depending on factors such as dietary practices, stress levels, and genetics. During the process of menopause, women have progressively less frequent periods, eventually stopping altogether in the later stages. Aside from rare cases, menopause is a natural effect of the aging cycle, usually beginning after the age of 45. Menopause occurs because the woman’s ovary stops producing estrogen and progesterone, which are the hormones that regulate the female menstrual cycle. Various symptoms associated with menopause are hot flashes,night sweats, trouble sleeping, vaginal dryness, mood swings, trouble focusing, and decreased sex drive. Many of these symptoms can be alleviated with treatment that combines lifestyle changes with clinically-proven hormone replacement therapies such as Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy.

Aside from providing relief from the extremes of the unpleasant effects experienced by women during menopause, BHRT has also been shown to prevent or treat conditions such as osteoporosis that can have adverse effects on a woman’s health. The estrogen and progesterone related symptoms of menopause are significantly lower after administering BHRT in pre-menopausal and menopausal women. Perhaps the greatest advantage of bio-identical treatments to standard hormone replacement therapies is that they have been shown to cause significantly less side-effects that can take away from the comfort and productivity of a patient’s day-to-day life. When compared with HRT, BHRT patients demonstrate less undesirable responses such as decreased energy, weight gain, and propensity for mental effects such as depression or increased anxiety. Since Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy employs more natural treatments than its counterpart, the new therapy is more in-tune with intricate design of the human body. By ensuring a healthier balance of the naturally-occurring hormones in the body, BHRT is a more comprehensive approach to treating menopause which focuses on the unique relationship between the physical, psychological, and environmental factors that affect the female life-cycle.

In conclusion, Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy has been approved by many physicians and health-care associations as a viable means of treating hormone-related menopausal symptoms in women. More importantly, since menopause often causes negative side-effects such as weight gain, decreased sex drive, and psychological disorders, the use of BHRT can drastically help prevent these from taking away from a woman’s quality of life. The amount of weight gained and instances of depression or increased anxiety experienced by pre-menopausal and menopausal women who undergo BHRT is much less than women who are administered HRT or women who are not opting for any form of menopause symptom alleviating therapy.

During the last century, medical practitioners and women alike have become accustomed to talking about bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) in menopause medicine. But there is a problem with this terminology. Hormones are not really bio-identical. They can be mimicked, but they are not identical. Furthermore, they cannot be replaced, rather they can be restored.

Medical practitioners and women alike have become accustomed to talking about bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) in menopause medicine. But there is a problem with this terminology. Hormones are not really bio-identical. They can be mimicked, but they are not identical, and they can be restored, not replaced.

Recent treatments for women in menopause include the multi-phasic rhythmic dosing of bio-mimetic hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) using natural hormones. More than two million women in the U.S. use customized hormones for menopause symptoms.

“Natural hormones are not bio-mimedic unless the body can recognize them as hormones, and they are not considered restoration unless what has been lost is truly restored,” said Author T.S. Wiley.

“If hormone restoration was made of real bio-mimedic hormones and dosed to mimic the ups and downs of the hormone blood levels in a normal menstrual cycle in a young woman, would all of the symptoms aging decline or disappear?”

Currently an accepted standard for compounded bio-identical hormone replacement protocol or therapy does not exist. However, she has created a registered pharmacy system to circumvent the current lack of legitimacy and availability of bio-mimetic, currently known as bio-identical hormones, for testing and study.

Further, a new study is underway at University of Texas and its multi-phasic physiologic dosing will be called Bioidentical Hormones On Trial, or B.H.O.T., a comparison of patterns of administration and dosing of compounded bio-identical hormone therapy (BHT). This study will be the first of its kind to track and quantify outcomes based on dosing and patterns of administration of BHT. The main objective of the study will be to examine clinical outcomes and quality of life indicators of patients receiving BHT at 10 to 12 primary care provider’s practices.

The results of the study will be used to help establish which dosage and pattern of BHT administration is most effective. Study results will be used to design a prospective randomized clinical trial with the goal of standardizing BHT administration and dosing patterns.

The study is an observational, prospective study of women ages 35 to 60 who are current users of compounded bioidentical hormone therapy (BHT). Clinical care of study participants will not be changed as a result of study participation. The study’s duration is slated for three years. Outcomes to be monitored include quality of life, symptom relief, and impact of BHT on physical health including breast, endometrial, and cardiovascular measures.

These critically needed study results will be presented at national and international meetings, and will be submitted for publication in professional journals to share the findings with women’s health care professionals. Study results will be used to design a prospective randomized clinical trial with the goal of standardizing BHT administration and dosing patterns.

Guest Post by Kristin Gabriel and T.S. Wiley