Can Bio-Identical Hormones Really Help You During Menopause?

Bio identical Hormone Replacement Therapy is a term used to describe medications containing estrogen, progesterone, or other hormones that are chemically exact duplicates of hormones produced by women, primarily in the ovaries. Some bio identical hormones are made by drug companies, are approved by the FDA, and are sold in standard doses. Other bio identical 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.

Despite the hot debate of terming bio identical hormone use as unsafe and risky, many patients treated with the same therapy for menopause symptoms are amazingly satisfied by the results. Glaring examples of such women are Suzanne Somers (author of "The Sexy Years") and also Oprah Winfrey who writes; "After one day on bio identical estrogen, I felt the veil lift,...After three days, the sky was bluer, my brain was no longer fuzzy, my memory was sharper. I was literally singing and had a skip in my step."

In addition, many other patients have revealed that using bioidentical hormone therapy has helped them a lot during their menopausal stage and in fighting back the maddening symptoms, particularly in terms of hotflashes, night sweats and insomnia.

According to the supporters of customized Bioidentical Hormones, every individual is different and they have to work that out with their doctor. Therefore, at compounding pharmacies, hormones are mixed to match exactly what each woman's body needs. After initial blood tests and saliva tests, the doctors determine what hormones need to be replaced in your body.

Bio-identical hormones have emerged as the latest technique to control menopause symptoms. But considering this technique natural and safer than the pharmaceutical type is wrong because bioidenticals are after all chemicals! It's strongly recommended that you do complete research and consult expert doctors before going into the whole process.