Hormonal imbalances, like menopause, can be the natural result of the aging process, or due to a surgery, such as hysterectomy, or damage to the ovaries, such as from chemotherapy. Stress, diet, exposure to toxins, genetics, autoimmune disorders and other medical procedures can cause hormonal imbalances. Hormones such as estrogen, progesterone and testosterone are chemicals that carry messages from your organs to your cells. Hormones switch on the genetic machinery that regulates everything taking place in your body. Hormones can be thought of as the life giving force that controls your physical, mental and emotional well-being.
Symptoms:
The symptoms of hormonal imbalance may vary from person to person and evolve over time. For example, a woman may experience menopausal symptoms in the early stages of menopause, like hot flashes, but may continue to have these symptoms for years after menstrual cycle has stopped.
Common symptoms of hormonal imbalance are hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain, muscle loss, fatigue, insomnia, mood swings, depression, anxiety, irritability, difficulty concentrating and low energy.
Treatment:
Hormone replacement therapy is one way to achieve hormonal balance. Some benefits of replacement therapy could include:
- Reduced risk of osteoporosis and improved bone density
- Reduced incidence of hot flashes and vaginal dryness
- Better maintenance of muscle mass and strength
- Improved cholesterol levels
- Reduced risk of endometrial and breast cancer
- Reduced risk of depression
- Improved sleep
- Better mood, concentration and memory
- Improved libido
- Reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease
Hormone replacement therapy can be done through the use of synthetic or bio-identical hormones. Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is the use of supplemental doses of hormones whose chemical structure is identical to the hormones that your body naturally produces.
What the difference between synthetic and bio-identical hormones?
| What's the Difference? | Bio-Identical Hormone | Synthetic Hormone |
| Chemical Structure | Matches the same structure that your body makes naturally | The main cholesterol structure is the same, but has other chemical structures on it that differ from your body |
| Produced from | Plants (soy or yam) | Animals |
| Safety | None to few side effects. Better safety profile. | Sensitivities and allergic reactions are more abundant due to unusual chemical structure. Women lack the enzymes and cofactors to metabolize them safely. Increases risks of VTE, cancer, etc. |
| Dosing | Able to be modified to fit your needs and physiological response | Standard dosing of commercially available products |
Working closely with a woman and her healthcare provider, a BioMed compounding pharmacist can help a woman start and maintain a bio-identical hormone replacement regimen that brings a woman’s hormones back into balance.
