Bio-Identical Hormone Therapy

What is Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy?

BHRT, or bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, is a method of treating men and women when their hormone levels drop or become unbalanced. Most commonly used to treat symptoms of menopause, perimenopause and andropause, BHRT may also be used to improve symptoms of other conditions that occur as a result of cancer treatment, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, adrenal and other thyroid disorders.

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Bioidentical vs. Synthetic Hormones

Unlike the hormones used in traditional hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which are made from the urine of pregnant horses and other synthetic hormones, bioidentical hormones are usually derived from plants and are chemically identical to hormones made in the human body.

​Synthetic hormones are not a natural fit into the body’s estrogen receptors, and waste energy by giving incomplete messages to cells, failing to produce a balanced hormone response. Additionally, they generally take longer to eliminate from the body.

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It is estimated that as many as one-half of women quit taking their synthetic hormone replacement therapy after one year due to their inability to tolerate the numerous side effects including increased blood pressure and gallstones. For these reasons and more, treatment using bioidentical hormones is the superior option.

As humans age, we experience a natural decline in hormonal balance.  Endocrine function also declines with age due to the loss of sensitivity among hormone receptors. In women, estrogen levels generally begin to drop between the ages of 40-55 and the decline of testosterone in men has already begun by the time they reach age 35. Once hormone levels begin to decrease, they continue to decline without intervention.

Most of us are familiar with the term menopause, which Webster’s dictionary defines as, “the natural cessation of menstruation that usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, or the period during which such cessation occurs.”  But, few may be aware that men also experience something called “male menopause.” The term andropause is also often used to describe this natural decline in levels of testosterone that comes with aging.

Conditions Associated with Hormone Imbalance and Deficiency

Not having an optimal balance of hormones is linked to a myriad of conditions including:​

• Fibromyalgia
• Osteoporosis
• Adrenal and other thyroid disorders
• Diabetes mellitus
• Erectile Dysfunction
• Decreased Libido
• Sexual Dysfunction
• Acromegaly (overproduction of growth hormones)
• Addison’s disease
• Cushing’s syndrome
• Graves’ disease
• Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
• Hyperthyroidism
• Hypothyroidism
• Prolactinoma

How Hormone Imbalance or Decline Causes These Conditions

All of the hormones in the body are designed to work together in an intricate balance that is as unique to each individual as their fingerprints.  If one hormone is altered somehow, or becomes deficient, it affects the actions of all the other hormones, which can cause a variety of detrimental issues.

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How Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy Corrects Hormone Imbalance and Decline

When a hormone imbalance occurs, there is never a one-size fits all solution.  Restoring hormonal balance requires a custom-tailored approach and the only way to adequately reclaim this balance is through a custom-tailored plan of bio-identical, compounded, customized hormone replacement.