Bio-identical Hormones:  A breakthrough in achieving hormonal balance

Hormones are very powerful things.  When they are in balance, life is good.  We feel energetic, happy, sexy, and alive.  We sleep well and are energized in the morning. Our weight loss efforts from good nutrition and fitness programs actually work. We lose weight and keep it off. On the other hand, when hormones are out of balance, multiple symptoms can arise. If you have any of the following symptoms, you may be experiencing hormonal imbalance:

The traditional way of treating these symptoms is with antidepressants or exogenous or foreign hormones called Conventional Hormone Therapy (CHT). examples of CHT include medications such as Premarin™, Provera™ (medroxyprogesterone acetate), Evista™, Activella™, all oral contraceptives, levonorgestrel and norethindrone. Women have had less than favorable results or even adverse outcomes with these hormone imposters. 

The Women's Health Initiative is a study that looked at over 8,000 women who used Premarin™ or Prempro™. This study found that women on these medications had an increased risk of breast cancer, blood clots, heart attacks and strokes. It really is not a surprise that these hormones foreign to the human body caused these problems. These chemicals can act as toxins, as their chemical makeup cannot be metabolized in the human body correctly. Premarin™ is derived from pregnant mare urine. It has many estrogens in it that are not naturally found in a woman. Some of the estrogens in Premarin™, such as equilin, are very powerful and the levels need to be monitored. However, there are not any blood or saliva tests that monitor levels of horse estrogens (or progesterone substitutes such as Provera™).

These foreign hormones have been proven to help with the symptoms of hot flushes and vaginal dryness, as the estrogen-like hormones do partially fit into our natural estrogen receptors in our body. However, they don't help with all the other symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. Basically, women still don't feel well with these drugs.

At our practice, we prefer to use bioidentical estrogens, progesterone, testosterone and DHEA, when indicated. Bioidentical hormones are an exact replica of the hormones that are produced in your body. The molecular structures are exactly the same as the hormones your body produces. Bioidentical hormones mimic human hormones on all biologic pathways/receptors. They fit into the corresponding receptor perfectly. The other difference between CHR and BHRT is that BHRT treatment regimens are custom tailored to the individual based on results of saliva testing, medical history, physical exam and symptoms. CHT is a "one-size-fits-all" approach.

Synthetic Hormones Video

Supplementing Hormones Video

More Information

Bioidentical Hormones in the News

The Opposing View of Bioidenticals

Dr. Brenner, MD & Associates - Women's Health Care and Gynecology - is pleased to serve patients from the following towns:  Anderson, Blue Ash, Cincinnati, Fairfield, Finneytown, Hamilton, Harrison, Hyde Park, Indian Hill, Landen, Lebanon, Liberty Township, Loveland, Madeira, Mariemont, Mason, Middletown, Milford, Monroe, Montgomery, Norwood, Sharonville, Springboro, Trenton, West Chester.