Human Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy

A/prof Eden Summarises Body

Many menopausal women having significant symptoms will prefer body-identical HRT, but there is still a role for the other menopausal therapies.

• A Mirena® intrauterine device can effectively control the menstrual problems associated with the menopause transition. For some, a cyclical E2 therapy such as Trisequens®, Zoely® or Femoston® for one to two years will be appropriate and safe.
• Tibolone is a simple, effective and safe therapy for some menopausal women under the age of sixty years, and has been shown to reduce breast cancer risk.4
• Vaginal oestrogens are highly effective and safe for vulvovaginal dryness9 and they can help prevent urinary tract infections.

Fifty years of research has clearly shown that not all HRTs are the same. The Womens Health Initiative Study has shown that CEE-MPA used for more than five years is associated with a slightly increased risk of breast cancer .3 However, in the WHI Study, oestrogen alone used for ten years did not increase breast cancer risk . 3

Many menopausal women having severe symptoms want to use natural HRT. Transdermal E2 with body-identical micronised progesterone appears to be a safe and effective therapy for many women. Most women prefer to take mP4 as a 100mg capsule daily , but for a very small number who cant take tablets or who have side-effects with oral mP4, then the topical vaginal route is available.

Why Body-Identical HRT is Important

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Micronised Progesterone is Now Available in Australia

Compounded Bioidentical Hormones Are Not Safer Than Mht

The reputation and use of MHT went into decline after the highly publicised Womens Health Initiative studies in 2002and 2004 led to confusion among women and doctors. This contributed to the rise of the compounded BHT industry.

We now have a much better understanding of the risks and benefits of MHT, as more information has been collected and the WHI studies have been reassessed.

Today, there are many treatment options using regulated MHTs with known and tested quantities of hormones. These are available in many different combinations and forms such as tablets, transdermal patches, gels or vaginal treatments. Doctors can now tailor MHT for each womans personal health situation to give the best possible results with the lowest possible risk.

In contrast:

• compounded BHT preparations have not been tested for quality, safety or negative side effects
• there is no way to know if compounded BHTs are contaminated with other additives
• compounded BHTs are not regulated and standardised like pharmaceutical-grade MHT.

Another Book Casts Doubt On Hormone Therapy

As women turned HT into a blockbuster drug, some womens health advocates remained concerned that menopausal women were unknowingly taking part in a vast experiment, since no large-scale research had proved these drugs were safe and effective.

An advocate named Barbara Seaman finally got people talking about the risks when her 1977 book, Women and the Crisis in Sex Hormones, vaulted to the bestseller list. Seaman warned of small studies linking HT to breast cancer, strokes, and blood clots.

But if the book caused some women to question HT, its effect was short-lived. Observational studies in the 1980s and 1990s began touting another benefit of the drugs: the prospect that they could protect women from the dangers of deadly heart disease. One such study was the famous Nurses Health Study, which followed nearly 60,000 women through menopause. In a report published in 1996 in the New England Journal of Medicine researchers concluded, We observed a marked decrease in the risk of major coronary heart disease among women who took estrogen with progestin.

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Endometrial Effects Of Transdermal Progesterone Creams And Estriol

Women with intact uteri are prescribed estrogen with a progestogen to oppose estrogen-induced endometrial hyperplasia and cancer. Bioidentical hormone proponents sometimes recommend topical progesterone cream instead of oral progestin for this purpose. However, it is unclear whether topical progesterone can effectively mitigate estrogen-induced endometrial stimulation. Three studies have examined the ability of progesterone to oppose estrogenic stimulation. The longest study, which lasted for 48 weeks, found that transdermal cream containing 40 mg of progesterone could not effectively oppose estradiol-induced endometrial stimulation.42 A 12-week study of a cream containing up to 64 mg of progesterone found similar effects.43 The only study that found that progesterone cream effectively opposed estrogen lasted only 28 days, too short a time to assess estrogenic effects.44 Five studies that measured serum or plasma levels after topical progesterone treatment have found progesterone levels < 5 ng/mL .4549 Only one study found a progesterone cream equivalent to oral progesterone after measuring progesterone concentration in whole blood50 .

What Are The Female Aging Process Progression Steps

As We Age many things about our bodies change, one of the things that change is our hormones. Hormones determine how tall you grown and how you handle stress, they also regulate the functioning of your sex organs.

The normal aging process causes hormone production to decline in everyone, resulting in imbalances that have both physical and psychological effects.

The main hormones that regulate a womens body are estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Any time one or more of these hormones becomes out of balance, a woman starts to experience change. This hormonal change is broken up into different stages:

Pre-menopause refers to a time before a women first regular menstrual to her last regular menstrual cycle. This is the period of normal reproductive function for a woman.

Perimenopause is the next stage. This refers to the transitional stage, which varies from 2 to about 10 years, prior to complete cessation of menstruation. This is usually experienced between the ages of 35-50 years of age. During this stage women can experience major hormone fluctuations which can cause typical symptoms, such as hot flashes.

Menopause is the third stage and marks the natural end of a womens reproductive cycle It is at this point that the bodys ability to produce estrogen and progesterone naturally, decreases substantially. The ovaries stop producing eggs and a woman is no longer able to become pregnant naturally.

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Synthetic Hormones First Used For Menstrual Cramps

Once estrogen was discovered, it was only a matter of time before scientists figured out how to turn it into a drug.

The first commercial preparation of estrogen was called Emmenin. It was an alcohol-soluble substance derived from extracts of human placentas. A paper published in 1935 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal described this oral solutions value for treating painful menstrual cramps, which go by the medical name dysmenorrhea.

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What Is Bioidentical Or Body

Bioidentical or body-identical hormones are estradiol and progesterone that are molecularly identical to human hormones. Most modern menopause hormone therapy is bioidentical. Keep reading for a list of brands.

The difference between bioidentical and body-identical is that body-identical is the preferred conventional term and bioidentical is the term traditionally applied to customised hormone formulas dispensed by a compounding pharmacist back when compounding was the only way to obtain such hormones.

regarded as safer than non-bioidentical hormone therapy.

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Estrogen Versus Progesterone Therapy For Menopause And Perimenopause

Transdermal bioidentical estradiol can relieve the hot flashes and mood disturbance of the menopause transition. Its safest when combined with bioidentical progesterone.

Under current guidelines, the only officially recognised use of oral micronised progesterone is as the progesterone part of hormone therapy in other words, estrogen plus progesterone, and, even then, only if you have a uterus. As I discuss in Hormone Repair Manual, progesterone can also be used on its own for perimenopausal symptoms such as night sweats, heart palpitations, sleep issues, migraines, mood problems, and heavy periods. Even without a uterus, progesterone is beneficial for mood and breasts.

Tip: Perimenopause or second puberty are the two to ten years before periods actually stop. Symptoms include heavy periods, insomnia, anxiety, and night sweats, and are the result of losing progesterone, not estrogen.

Progesterone-alone has a few advantages over estrogen:

• Its better for sleep and migraines.

Demand For Hormone Therapy Increases

Because some research in the 1970s showed that estrogen medication was linked to an increase in a womans risk of endometrial cancer , women who still had their uterus were given a combined hormone treatment of both estrogen and synthetic progesterone , which would protect her from this problem. According to the article in Sexual Medicine Reviews, estrogen use increased through the 1980s and 1990s among all women, with a corresponding increase in the use of progestin by women with a uterus.

These treatments were initially referred to as hormone replacement therapy , or sometimes, as MedlinePlus explains, estrogen replacement therapy , or menopausal hormone therapy, but this was later changed to hormone therapy .

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What Are The Risks Of Bioidentical Hormones

It has been shown in research studies that there are risks to taking hormones. It can increase the risk of blood clots, stroke, and gallbladder disease. Your risk of heart disease and breast cancer may also increase if you are older or use hormonal therapy for an extended period. Many healthcare providers who use bioidentical hormones claim they are safer than traditional hormone therapy treatments. But there have been no large research studies of bioidentical hormones to show evidence of this.

Licensing In Uk Medicines And Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

Compounded bioidentical hormone replacement therapies are manufactured as creams, lozenges and vaginal preparations by Specialist Pharmacies which have proliferated both physically and online in the UK and abroad. These cBHRT products:

• Do not follow the same regulatory pathway of evaluation by the MHRA as conventional pharmaceutical products.
• Have not been through the rigorous process of drug development which conventional medicines and products such as rBHRT undergo.
• Have not been scientifically evaluated in controlled randomised clinical trials for effectiveness and safety against placebo or conventional HRT.

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How Does Bioidentical Hormone Therapy Work

As with all medical treatments, bioidentical hormone treatments are prescribed by a doctor or specialist nurse.

The first step is to attend a consultation with a specialist who will gather all relevant information and arrange for an at home blood sample to identify your current hormone levels and identify what is needed.

From there, you will be prescribed a tailored hormone treatment plan that is unique to your needs and lifestyle. Bioidentical hormones are usually prescribed as a lozenge, cream or gel specially formulated to replenish the specific hormones you are deficient in and restore the body to optimum performance.

As menopause and andropause are personal, your prescription will be delivered in discreet packaging directly to your door. Your package will contain your unique prescription, dosage, and other helpful information to guide you along your journey, to ensure you have the best experience and everything you may need at your disposal.

Throughout the course of your treatment, you will be required to attend regular follow-ups with your doctor, which can be booked via the Bio ID app. Your doctor will continually monitor your hormones, to ensure your current plan is working for you and identify if you need your prescription changing.

What Is Needed For The Future

Today, we are standing in the midst of a crisis between science, politics, and the corporate profit motive. Men and Womens health is at stake. We need university studies that are funded by non-profits and the government to follow up on the potential of better health through bio-identicals. The savings in terms of human suffering and health costs could be huge.

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Are Compounded Bioidentical Hormones Bad

There are risks to taking compounded bioidentical hormones, but in some cases, they may be a better choice. Compounded bioidentical hormones are not FDA-approved. They are not tested for safety or effectiveness. Many major medical groups do not support using them because not enough is known about their safety and long-term side effects.

Compounded Bioidentical Hormones Do Not Work Better Than Mht

There is no evidence that compounded BHTs are more effective than conventional MHT. It is difficult to know the levels of hormones compounded BHTs will produce in your body for a number of reasons:

• Compounded BHTs are handmade for women often based on expensive, saliva testing for hormone levels these tests are not standardised and are not quality controlled.
• Compounded BHTs are not regulated and standardised like pharmaceutical-grade MHTs.
• It is impossible to know the exact quantities of hormones in a handmade preparation of compounded BHT and it is impossible to know what else has been added or whether it is contaminated.

Even if compounded BHT preparations result in an adequate level of hormones in your body to decrease your menopausal symptoms, you will still have the side effects of those hormone levels and, at the same time, you will have no way of knowing if the compounded BHT is safe .

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Will I be able to have kids after receiving HGH hormone replacement therapy?

Low-dose bioidentical hormone replacement will not change the ability of someone being able to impregnate and have kids. Abuse in dosage can lower the production of sperm and can make it difficult to impregnate. Abuse is highly discouraged at HGH Mexico clinic.

*Effects of HGH replacement therapy can vary from patient to patient, please consult with your licensed physician. Russald Medical licensed number #7022689

Will I lose hair after receiving HGH hormone replacement therapy?

Loss of hair specifically because of hormone replacement therapy is mostly a miss conception. Proper dosage and health evaluation prior to receiving HRT therapy should identify if the patient is not already presenting other symptoms of hair-loss. This misconception is normally attributed to case where patients have noticed slightly thinner hair for a short period of time while undergoing treatment, which usually returns to normal after the treatment.

*Effects of HGH replacement therapy can vary from patient to patient, please consult with your licensed physician. Russald Medical licensed number #7022689

Does HGH hormone replacement therapy produce negative side effects?

Proper laboratory blood panel analysis and correct dosages are very important when doing HRT therapy, this will ensure that any potential negative side effects are minimized.

Is HGH hormone replacement therapy unsafe?

Los Angeles Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy Clinics

Dr. Judi Goldstone and staff are ready to assist you in your journey to regain peak health and reclaim your life at their Los Angeles office located in Torrance, CA. After a comprehensive review of your symptoms, a thorough physical exam and laboratory analysis, Dr. Goldstone can help determine if Bioidentical Hormone Therapy is right for you.

Preserving and improving your health is worth every possible effort. Dismissing treatable symptoms not only detracts from the quality of your life, it can greatly impact your general health.

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Bioidentical Or Natural Hormones

Bioidentical hormones are hormone preparations made from plant sources that are promoted as being similar or identical to human hormones.

Practitioners claim these hormones are a “natural” and safer alternative to standard HRT medicines.

However, bioidentical preparations are not recommended because:

• they are not regulated and it’s not clear how safe they are there’s no good evidence to suggest they’re safer than standard HRT
• it’s not known how effective they are in reducing menopausal symptoms
• the balance of hormones used in bioidentical preparations is usually based on the hormone levels in your saliva, but there’s no evidence that these levels are related to your symptoms

Bioidentical hormones are not the same as body identical hormones. A body identical hormone, or micronised progesterone, can be prescribed to treat menopausal symptoms.

Many standard HRT hormones are made from natural sources, but unlike bioidentical hormones, they’re closely regulated and have been well researched to ensure they’re as effective and safe as possible.

Why Are These Test Results Important

These hormones, vitamins, and minerals are the hallmarks of a safe and effective hormone replacement/optimization therapy protocol. Lab results will give us a clear picture of your bio-individual needs.

Please read this article about biomarkers. Most physicians do not test for even half the biomarkers we require to see.

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Bioidentical Hormones Versus Synthetic Hormones

Bioidentical hormones have the exact chemical and molecular structure as the human bodys hormones while other types of lab-made hormones do not. As these other synthetic hormones are made differently than the hormones in the body, the body reacts to them.

For example, Premarin is a replacement estrogen that is made with the help of urine from pregnant horses. It binds to human estrogen receptors very tightly and makes them more reactive.

As with all medications that act as estrogen replacement therapies, this reaction may increase a persons risk of cancer if the medication is taken for a long time.

• reduced bloating
• better thinking and memory

Although people often refer to the symptoms women experience as being those of menopause, they are, in fact, symptoms of perimenopause.

Menopause refers to the time when a woman stops having periods every month. Perimenopause is the time leading up to menopause when the ovaries start to produce less estrogen.

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