Everything You Need to Know About Bio Identical Hormones
We talk about it behind closed doors with our friends but do you ever bring it up to your doctor? You know, those unpleasant new symptoms plaguing your life as a woman in your late forties and fifties. You aren’t alone. It’s estimated that over 25 million women enter menopause every year.
You’re at a new time in your life when you can finally take control of your body and love yourself for who you uniquely are. But do you?
Or, do you instead, suffer in silence from sleepless nights, memory loss, migraines, debilitating cramps, and weeklong menstruation cycles? Yes, you get night sweats and hot flashes, but it’s more than that, you don’t feel like your normal self anymore.
If your “normal” menopausal symptoms don’t seem normal, then it’s time to consider bio-identical hormone therapy. Yes, bio-identical hormones can be scary and unknown yet scientists are learning more every day.
I’ve put together this complete guide to bio-identical hormones for you. You can see for yourself what they are, what the research says, and how you can combat your changes in hormone levels naturally and safely.
What Are Bio-Identical Hormones?
Our bodies naturally make hormones. These are chemical messengers that affect every part of our body and all our body systems. Bio-identical hormones are chemical compounds created in a lab that identically match those created naturally by our bodies.
When our natural hormones begin to subside we can replace those with natural hormones with others. This is similar to men taking testosterone pills or women taking infertility medication to help them get pregnant.
For menopausal women, taking replacement hormones isn’t new. But there are decades of negative perceptions around this topic due to an antiquated, medically flawed study. This study was done by the National Institutes of Health in the 1990s called the Women’s Health Initiative.
Luckily doctors, researchers, and authors alike have worked to bring newer, updated, medically accurate information to light. Articles such as this the New York Times piece shine a light on the gender biases and the lack of medical knowledge on this subject within the medical community.
Women entering menopause find that loss of estrogen and progesterone can have many crippling side effects. Bio-identical hormones are the same hormones our bodies create naturally.
You don’t have to hear anyone say any longer that your symptoms are normal and that you just need to tolerate them. Some solutions are medically tested, safe, and can give you relief from the symptoms that can wreak havoc on your body.
Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room, the decades-long perceptions surrounding the side effects of hormone replacement treatment before diving into the safe, natural options you have available to you today.
Side Effects of Bio-Identical Hormone Therapy
Women everywhere are deterred away from hormone therapy due to a thirty-year-old study that found increased risks of heart disease, stroke, blood clots, and endometrial cancer. Unfortunately, that study was flawed and is now out of date. But the negative perceptions still exist, so let’s unpack them to gain a better understanding.
First, consider that the average age of women in the 1991-2002 NIH study was 63. However, some women start experiencing menopausal symptoms as young as 45 and the average age is 51. This is a decade or two age difference, making comparing patients and their potential risks nearly impossible.
Second, at the time of the NIH study, the most common medication prescribed to women was Premarin. The drug was made using estrogen acquired from a pregnant horse’s urine. Today’s hormone therapies are chemically derived using a mixture of several different types of hormones including estrogen, progesterone, and androgens.
When combined, these bio-identical hormones can both alleviate troubling symptoms of menopause while also decreasing the risk of endometrial cancer. Additionally, up until menopause women have statistically significantly less chance of heart attacks and strokes. After menopause when estrogen has left their bodies, women’s chances of these heart diseases are identical to men’s.
In short, taking low levels of estrogen in monitored doses continues to protect women naturally from heart disease. Adding progesterone to your estrogen replacement therapy diminishes the side effect of increased uterine lining from too much estrogen to help prevent endometrial cancer. And overall, women saw fewer fractures due to decreased risk of osteoporosis that comes from menopause.
Examples of Bio-Identical Hormones
Today, scientists are working to create hormones that are identical to what women’s bodies make naturally. On average, between the ages of 45 and 55, women’s ovaries stop producing estrogen and progesterone. Your body can still make these vital hormones from fat cells, however, it’s a much smaller supply than is naturally produced in your ovaries.
To continue to benefit from the many advantages of these vital hormones, you can replace them with new hormones. This is considered hormone replacement therapy. Bio-identical hormone therapy utilizes the significant advances of medicine over the past three decades so we can be more confident.
In addition, there are several different forms of treatment available to women today that weren’t available thirty years ago. Today you can choose from dermal patches, topical creams, and injectable subdermal pellets. By choosing a non-pill form you can eliminate the need for the medication to filter through your liver decreasing the risk of blood clots.
Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Take Hormones
Typically, women who enter menopause earlier than normal are at higher risk for:
- Osteoporosis
- Plaque build-up in the brain possibly causing Alzheimer’s
- Obesity
- Diabetes
The good news is that at a younger age, you’re also likely more healthy than your 50-60-year-old counterparts. This means that you’re statistically much less likely to be at risk for the side effects found in the older NIH study. The average age of women in that study was 63 years old.
Every woman needs to sit down with their doctor and discuss:
- Your symptoms
- Medical history
- And your risk assessment
These discussions can go longer than the average 15 minutes allotted by most insurance companies. If you aren’t satisfied with the answers you’re getting from your doctor, there are options. Consider seeking a second opinion from a board-certified doctor who specializes in women’s health care.
Older women who have a family history of cancer, or have already had a heart attack or stroke before reaching menopause should discuss their risk levels with their doctor.
If you don’t fall into one of the high-risk groups above and you’re tired of debilitating menopausal symptoms then there is help for you with minimal risk. Don’t let outdated concerns stop you from learning more, getting proper treatment and enjoying this amazing stage of your life.
Bio-Identical Hormones Pros and Cons
As mentioned above, menopause can cause several different symptoms in women including night sweats, mood changes, hot flashes, low libido, and decreased bone density. Taking bio-identical hormones can ease these symptoms, giving you a better quality of life.
Pros of Hormone Replacement
However, taking bio-identical hormones can do more than simply improve your quality of life. There are important medically significant benefits from taking bio-identical hormones. These include:
- Reducing your risk of diabetes
- Reducing your risk of losing calcium
- Preventing tooth loss
- Preventing fractures due to brittle bones
- Improving insomnia
- Reducing your risk of Cataracts
- Decreasing Migraines
As you can see, your hormones impact many facets of your health. Without vital help from estrogen and progesterone, your body is weakened and vulnerable. You can combat these potential health risks by replacing your natural hormones lost during menopause.
Cons of Hormone Replacement
Your doctor should speak with you about your specific medical risks. Everybody is unique and your risks aren’t the same as anyone else. You need to discuss with your doctor your unique medical history, your current health levels, and how significant your symptoms are in realtiona to your quality of life and how this treatment may be a solution.
Some common complaints from women taking hormone replacement treatments include:
- Acne
- Weight gain
- Fatigue
- Bloating
- Mood swings
You’ll need to discuss with your doctor whether your health risks outweigh the symptoms you’re experiencing from menopause.
Stop Suffering in Silence From Menopausal Symptoms
Bio-identical hormones are an important topic for women worldwide. Your hormones are a vital building block to your health and without them your body can’t act at peak optimal levels.
Take the time to educate yourself on your body and fell free to contact us, we’re here to help.
For your next step, reach out to my office to schedule a consultation. You don’t have to suffer in silence from the symptoms of menopause. We can help you regain your quality of life and better health with bio-identical hormone therapy.
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