Women are becoming increasingly interested in the risks and benefits of postmenopausal hormones. In recent years, the use of bioidentical hormones has become a popular topic. It€™s important to be informed about the hormones before considering them.
According to the Mayo Clinic, bio-identical hormones are hormones that are identical to the hormones your body produces. While some bioidentical hormones are touted as €œnatural€ because they€™re made mostly with plant or animal sources, they still need to be commercially processed to be deemed bioidentical.
Benefits of Bioidentical Hormones
- Supporters of bioidentical hormones claim they have many benefits over traditional hormone therapy, including:
- They€™re custom for you because the prescriptions are created based on tests of your saliva.
- Many women experience less bleeding when taking natural progesterone
- It€™s easy to test blood serum levels if a woman isn€™t reacting well to the hormones
- Besides estrogen and progesterone, the prescription may include other hormones, such as testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and adrenal hormones
- The mix of hormones included in the prescription can help correct most symptoms of menopause
Things to Keep in Mind if You€™re Considering Bioidentical Hormones
There are some things to keep in mind if you€™re considering using them:
- The effectiveness of any hormonal product depends greatly on the way it€™s created. It€™s important to work closely with a clinician to ensure it€™s the right combination for you.
- Some women do benefit from the use of bioidentical hormones. However, there€™s almost no scientific proof that they€™re safe or more effective than commercially produced preparations.
- The FDA suggests using hormone therapy in low doses for a short period of time