Natural bio-identical hormonal replacement therapy has caught the fancy of medical experts presently. Doctors are on the lookout for a safer alternative for synthetic hormone replacement therapy. The popularly used synthetic hormones like Premarin, PemPro, Provera, and Progestins come with serious health risks as well as side effects.
However, for the manufacturers of these hormones, production of synthetic hormones is a profitable venture, as they can patent them because there is no natural compound present in the hormones. In fact, companies have deliberately invented these hormones, as they can’t patent a bio-identical structure.
What Are Bio-Identical Hormones?
Bio-identical hormones have the exact molecular composition as that is found in hormones produced by the body naturally. They are derived from plants and not from synthetic chemicals. Thus, they prove to be more effective than the synthetic ones. They have no side effects or health risks, if taken in doses that match the normal production by the body. Unfortunately, a large number of doctors are unaware of bio-identical hormones, though they have existed for years.
Is Natural bio-identical hormone replacement therapy A Better Option?
Natural bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (nBHRT) uses hormones that are biologically identical to those produced by your body. This therapy helps in balancing the level of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone hormones in the body. As a result, the symptoms of menopause fade and it gets easier for you to live your life post menopause.
Do you know there is a 40-60 percent fall in the production of estrogen post menopause? Also, your progesterone level becomes ZERO at this time. This is because progesterone is produced only during ovulation. So, you can imagine with no progesterone in your body and plummeting estrogen, how bad your body must feel!
With the help of nBHRT, you begin to feel the symptoms of menopause becoming milder within 3-4 months of this therapy. It’s as simple as this: as you balance the level of hormones in your body, the symptoms start going away as they were created due to hormonal imbalance in the first place.
Although this therapy has created waves in medical science, one needs to be cautious. Scientists have yet to study this bio-identical hormones thoroughly, particularly their effects in the long run. But, they can be considered better than synthetically produced hormones. However, they are still not labeled as perfect.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) had released an article on bio-identical hormones. The excerpts are: "no scientific evidence to support claims of increased efficacy or safety for individualized estrogen or progesterone regimens prepared by compounding pharmacies". There is "lack of well-designed and well-conducted clinical trials of these compounded hormones".
In 2002, the federal government had suspended the synthetic hormone replacement therapy in clinical trials spread on a large scale. This was done in the wake of its serious side effects. This left doctors as well as a large number of women skeptical about the safety of this therapy. Although certain doctors recommend the use of nBHRT, it’s not prescribed as commonly as synthetic HRT. The bio-identical hormones are present in different formulations and have to be administered in specific doses that are regarded as standard. In fact, the dose is specific to each individual as according to her body requirements.
Trials for the effectiveness and safety of natural bio-identical hormone replacement therapy are going on. It has already been established that synthetic hormones ARE detrimental to the body. It requires a lot of effort for the body to adjust to the introduction of unfamiliar chemicals inside it. But, the establishment of the safety of natural hormones is yet awaited.