Hormone Replacement Therapy

The integration of BHRT (Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy) into your health plan can help create long-lasting hormone health.

BHRT involves using custom compounded bioidentical hormones to relieve symptoms of hormonal imbalance. BHRT can not only be used to help provide relief from perimenopause, menopause and andropause symptoms, but it is also effective for other hormone-related conditions including polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and postnatal depression.  

Bioidentical hormones are used in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) and have an identical chemical structure to the naturally occurring hormones which are produced in the body.

These differ from synthetic hormones used in traditional HRT.

Synthetic hormones have a chemical structure that may be similar to but are not exactly the same as the hormones produced by the body. Bioidentical hormones are structurally identical to the hormones your own body produces. They are made from yams, soy & plants. 

These chemical differences can mean that synthetic hormones act differently in the body and can result in a variety of different side effects. Because bioidentical hormones replicate your own hormones incredibly closely, we find the side effects which are commonly associated with synthetic hormones aren’t experienced, making BHRT a more appealing treatment method for many patients.

The HRT establishment believes that the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach of regular HRT is adequate. Each client receiving bioidentical hormone treatment will undergo regular tests to determine the hormone levels already present in their blood and then receive a personalised prescription to achieve and maintain a healthy level if necessary.

The types, combinations and dosages of bio-identical hormones are customized to fit each individual patient and will be discussed in the course of your treatment. We work closely with specialty compounding pharmacies to seamlessly deliver your compounded hormone prescriptions, which can come in different formats: Women - from oral or sublingual, creams, vaginal troches/suppositories, or patches; Men - creams, injections or oral. 

The most common hormones prescribed are estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and desiccated thyroid. The majority of bio-identical hormone prescriptions will need to be prepared by a compounding pharmacy in their lab. Compounding pharmacies adhere to strict regulations and certifications to ensure accuracy and quality when preparing the medicine as prescribed by the nurse practitioner or physician. We work with pharmacists who have additional education in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.

We are often asked about the safety of bioidentical hormones, particularly whether bioidentical hormones are safer than the synthetic versions commonly used in HRT. There have been many medical studies on bioidentical hormones; however, as they are officially not drugs they don’t require expensive, large-scale trials, but they are prescriptions.

The clinical data available certainly suggests that bioidenticals are safer. For example, long running research which studied 80,000 post-menopausal women found that taking progesterone plus natural estrogen had no raised risk of heart disease or cancer. HRT had been licenced on the basis of favourable trial results for years before this WHI study.

Those who took only estrogen had a 29% rise in their risk of breast cancer. But for those on progesterone as well the cancer risk disappeared. Combining estrogen with various non- identical progestins, however, pushed up the risk by as much as 69%.

In our experience, many women prefer bioidentical hormones as they feel much better on them and don’t experience the side effects associated with traditional HRT.

As part of ongoing treatment reviews, we require blood tests, pap tests, mammograms, and pelvic ultrasounds so we can keep a close eye on the effectiveness of treatment and any potential side effects. Clients do not have to have these tests ordered by our nurse practitioner but should provide a copy of their test results for their charts.

Bioidentical hormones are effective for both men and women at reducing the symptoms caused by hormonal imbalance. BHRT can be used to treat a very wide variety of hormonal imbalances from perimenopause and menopause in women and andropause in men, to PMS, PCOS, postnatal depression and many more. 

Those who suffer from conditions such as endometriosis, fibroids, or other menstrual problems that are often traditionally treated with synthetic hormones, can find that BHRT is an excellent option instead.

Some of the benefits you may notice with BHRT include:

• Balanced mood

• Increased energy and focus

• Regular menstrual cycles

• Decreased perimenopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, insomnia and vaginal dryness

• Improved sense of strength and endurance

• Improved libido