What are Bioidentical Hormones and how can they help menopause symptoms? Millions of Canadian women experience troublesome and debilitating menopause symptoms. The inevitable hot flashes, fatigue, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and mood changes that come with the diagnosis. The World Health Organization has released estimates stating that by 2030, 1.2 billion women worldwide will be postmenopausal, as 25 million women go through menopause every year. For several years, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was a great help to many suffering from menopause symptoms. HRT can increase the risk of serious health events, like breast cancer, and strokes. Fortunately, today bioidentical hormones are available. Let’s delve into some frequently asked questions about bioidentical hormone therapy, or BHT.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bioidentical Hormones for Menopause
What are Bioidentical Hormones?
Bioidentical hormones are sex hormones that come in the form of estrogens and progesterone. Your body produces hormones structured exactly the same on a molecular level. Bioidentical hormones come from soy and yam plants where Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) uses traditional hormones, usually isolated from animals, which is much riskier health-wise.
Are Bioidentical Hormones Effective?
Bioidentical hormones are highly effective and have helped millions of women. A 2016 study provided evidence that Bioidentical Hormone Therapy reduces hot flashes, and two separate studies in 2014 and 2011 showed that BHT helped with mood swings, night sweats, and irritability. An Australian study showed that 15 percent of Australian women in their fifties and sixties had taken or took bioidentical hormones.
How Do I Take Bioidentical Hormones?
You can take Bioidentical Hormone Therapy in a few different ways. It is available in pill form that you swallow or dissolve under your tongue or administered as a cream, patch, spray, or vaginal ring. Name-brand bioidentical prescriptions are available at pharmacies (Prometrium, Vagifem, Vivelle Dot, etc.). You may require the services of a compounding pharmacy for some of your bioidentical hormones.
Are Bioidentical Hormones An Absolute Necessity?
Bioidentical hormones are not absolutely necessary and only yourself and a knowledgeable doctor experienced in the use of BHT can decide if they’re right for you. Your decision should be based on an educated assessment of the risks versus the benefits. Under the guidance of our physicians, you may choose to use herbs and supplements, traditional HRT, or nothing at all to help with menopausal symptoms and transition.
Can You Stop Bioidentical Hormone Therapy?
Adverse events from BHT are rare. One study in 2013 found zero adverse events in a group of 75 women undergoing BHT. If you do have an adverse event, or simply decide to go completely natural with your menopause plan, you’ll be happy to know that it is possible to stop BHT at any time. It is always advisable to do this under our physicians’ guidance who will monitor with exams and blood tests and gradually wean you off BHT.
Functional Medicine & Menopause
At Linden & Arc Vitality Institute, our Functional Medicine physicians will guide you to find the right fit. Remember, most therapies are more effective with lifestyle changes. These include factors like increased activity level, a good diet, and nutritional support in the form of supplements. Our clinic provides counseling and support to help you maintain and strengthen your health, transition through menopause with minimal symptoms, and thoroughly enjoy these happy years of your life.
References:
1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23627249
2 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27008039
3 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27479272
4 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24881343
5 http://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-health/what-are-bioidentical-hormones
6 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21651797
About the author:
Dr. Murfin is wholeheartedly focused on her life’s mission to help people heal and achieve extraordinary outcomes. She believes that health is more than merely the absence of disease. It is a total state of physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social wellbeing through the creation of a whole and meaningful life. Dr. Murfin leaves no stone unturned to determine the root cause of illness or imbalance.
