What are bioidentical hormones?
Bioidentical hormones are exactly the same hormones, molecule per molecule that your body produces. They originate from plants. Most often made from wild yams and soybeans. They are then slightly modified in a lab to attain the structure identical to the hormones produced by your own body. Use of this type of therapy is preferred by both men and women in dealing with hormonal changes due to aging, menopause and andropause. Synthetic hormones are also made in a lab, but most importantly are not identical to your body. Bioidentical hormones are superior to types of synthetic hormones commonly prescribed.
Bioidentical hormones are plant-derived hormones that are promoted as an alternative to conventional hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for menopausal women. As the name implies, they are alleged to be identical to hormones produced in human females in terms of molecular structure. However, even though bioidentical hormones are obtained from plants, they do not occur naturally. Instead, they are synthesized from chemical agents found in soy and yams. Specifically, the bioidentical hormones are 17 beta-estradiol, estrone, and estriol, the form of estrogen that declines as a woman ages. Since there is no bioidentical version of progesterone, it is simply micronized and added to the preparation to ensure better absorption. Some formulations are sold as over-the-counter products. They are also compounded, meaning that they are custom blended by a pharmacist in accordance with a physician’s prescription. As might be expected, the availability of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT
“There is enormous confusion about the meaning of the term ‘bioidentical,'” JoAnn Manson, MD, DrPH, tells WebMD via email. “Bioidentical hormone preparations are medications that contain hormones that are an exact chemical match to those made naturally by humans,” says Manson, who is chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and the Elizabeth F. Brigham Professor of Women’s Health at Harvard Medical School. Some bioidentical hormones are made by drug companies, are approved by the FDA, and are sold in standard doses. Other bioidentical hormone preparations are made at special pharmacies called compounding pharmacies, which make the preparations on a case-by-case basis for each patient. Those “custom-made” preparations aren’t approved by the FDA.
