Why would a pharmaceutical manufacturer make non bioidentical hormones?
Some of these chemical changes make the hormones better absorbed when taken by mouth. Some changes make the hormones stronger or last longer. Some changes alter the hormones effects. Birth control pills are all synthetic. The estrogens in birth control pills are better absorbed by mouth than natural estrogen. Natural progesterone requires relatively large quantities to work. Most birth control pills use an altered form of testosterone, which acts in some ways like progesterone. The drug companies call these chemicals Progestins. They are better absorbed by mouth than real progesterone, are stronger and last longer, so less is needed and the pills are smaller. As they are foreign to the human body, they tend to have greater side effects. In addition, a manufacturer can get a patent on a newly created molecule and thus sell the patented drug for more money. Natural occurring bioidentical hormones cannot be patented.
