Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy ~ a better solution

More than 30 million American women are menopausal. An additional 20 million more are within a few years of this personal transition. As the number of women seeking hormone replacement therapy has grown, so has the mass production of pills, patches and creams by the drug industry.

Women have traditionally used synthetic estrogen supplements to protect against osteoporosis and heart disease. These synthetic hormones are appealing to patients because they treat menopausal symptoms as well. Yet they often have side effects: breast tenderness, breakthrough bleeding and fluid retention.

A better solution for women needing hormone therapy may be the use of more natural hormones rather than synthetic ones. Compounding pharmacists are meeting the needs of peri-menopausal and menopausal women through the use of plant-derived hormones that are biologically identical to those occurring in women.

No two women are alike, and the value of bio-identical hormone replacement therapy is that it can be adapted to fit your individual body and hormone levels. In fact, hormones can be made in a variety of strengths and dosage forms including capsules, topical creams and gels, suppositories and sublingual troches (better known as lozenges).

With the help of your doctor and a compounding pharmacist, a woman can start and maintain a bio-identical hormone replacement regimen that closely mimics what her body has been doing for years.

Ask your physician about bio-identical hormone replacement therapy. It's your body, why not give yourself the option of a customized, more natural hormone therapy?