Talk to a group of women dealing with menopause symptoms, and it won’t take long before someone brings up the question of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and “bioidentical” or “natural” hormones vs “traditional” or “synthetic” hormones.
Which is best, most effective, safest? Chances are you’ll get nearly as many answers as questions and still not know for sure.
It’s your health, your comfort, and your quality of life that are at stake here, so at genneve, we want you to have the facts. Our Director of Health, ob/gyn and epidemiologist Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su, breaks it down for us.
What are bioidentical hormones?
So that we’re all talking the same language, let’s be clear about our terms.
The term “ bioidentical” refers to synthetic hormones that are identical to the ones your body naturally produces. “ Natural” hormones come from plant or animal sources, and while not synthesized in a lab, they still have to be processed in a lab in order to become bioidentical (and usable for the body). “ Compounded bioidenticals “ are treatments that have been created in a compounding pharmacy using bioidentical hormones. It’s these compounded bioidenticals that can be problematic.
A lot of people will assert that “bioidenticals” (meaning “compounded bioidenticals”) are safer than those traditionally prescribed in Western medicine. Sadly, not only are compounded bioidenticals no safer than traditional medications, they’re often actively hazardous to a woman’s health.
According to Dr. Rebecca, the truth is, treatments bearing the bioidentical or natural label are made of the same stuff traditional treatments are made of. “There’s only one place to buy estrogen and progesterone,” Dr. Rebecca says, “and that’s from the pharmaceutical industry.”
So the estrogen and progesterone in compounded bioidentical treatments and in traditional treatments start from the same place — as big crystals of hormone which are then turned into treatments.
The difference is in how those base elements are made into the treatment you pay for.
Compounding hormones
First, says Dr. Rebecca, it’s important to understand that hormones are healthy and good and safe when prescribed and used correctly. “I do not want to put down compounding pharmacies in general, they are excellent for many purposes. In fact, I use them myself for topical numbing cream for my clinic. I am warning specifically about compounded hormones.”
So what’s bad about compounded hormones? The problems occur in the preparations.
“Compounders are literally taking the exact same medications I would prescribe — estradiol and micronized progesterone — grinding it up, mixing it in a cream even though the medication may not be designed for systemic absorption, and telling you to rub it on your body,” Dr. Rebecca says.
If it’s the same medication, why is that a problem?
Are you considering HRT and not feeling confident about the options? We’d love to continue the discussion. Please join us in our public forums, leave us a note on the genneve Facebook page, or join our community in Midlife & Menopause Solutions, our closed Facebook group.
Originally published at https://genneve.com on June 6, 2019.
