Advantages of Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy
Changes in hormone balance are a normal part of getting older for women and men. Menopause, in particular, throws up plenty of side effects as lower levels of estrogen cause changes in a woman’s body. Hormone therapy is the traditional treatment of choice when menopause symptoms interfere with daily living.
As technology has advanced, so has hormone therapy. At Southeast Urogyn, in Jackson, Mississippi, we offer bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. This therapy replaces the hormones lost through menopause with hormones that are an exact match.
In this blog, we discuss what bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is and its benefits.
What are bioidentical hormones?
When you choose to control menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes, insomnia, and osteoporosis, you have a choice between regular and bioidentical hormones. While there isn’t a precise medical definition of “bioidentical,” the term describes formulations of an artificial hormone that’s a precise match to the chemical produced in your body.
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) produces the same symptom-reducing results as conventional hormone therapy, but it’s thought that BHRT may have fewer health risks. Though not yet supported by extensive long-term studies, BHRT offers a chemically “cleaner” version of the hormone treatments that date back to 1942.
The bioidentical advantage
This means that all of the advantages of conventional hormone replacement therapy apply to BHRT, too. While supplemental hormones aren’t the right choice for all women, you may benefit from BHRT if you:
- Lose ovarian function before age 40
- Enter menopause prior to reaching age 40
- Suffer from osteoporosis, and other treatments are unsuccessful
- Experience hot flashes or other menopause symptoms that interfere with daily life
Flexible treatments
About 40% of women receiving hormone treatment for menopause symptoms use bioidentical hormones. This is about 1.4 million people, so BHRT is quite common. Success of hormone replacement therapy depends on both the size of the dose and the type of delivery.
Your BHRT can be delivered as pills, implanted pellets, creams, patches, or injections, and a reputable medical practitioner, such as the ones at Southeast Urogyn, will closely monitor your symptom reductions and dosages. The most effective and safest treatment is the one that gives you the most significant results with the smallest dose possible.
The doctors at Southeast Urogyn will work with you to determine the best menopause management plan, no matter if you’ve entered menopause naturally or as a result of illness or surgery. To learn more about BHRT and see if it’s right for you, book an appointment over the phone with Southeast Urogyn today.
