How Do I Convince a Regular Doctor to Prescribe Natural Hormones?

Google Dr. Erika's Blog. That's probably the best advice a woman could be given at absolutely any point in her life. I started having menopause symptoms when I was in my early 30s. Of course I didn't recognize them, and my mind absolutely did not venture toward any condition usually reserved for older women. It took about 10 years for me to realize what was happening to my body and to determine what I wanted to do about it.

As I grew older, and began to travel in circles of mature women (my peers were getting older), bioidentical hormones were forefront in our conversations regarding aging. We were California Baby Boomers, and we never ever did things the way our parents did, but rather chose the natural alternative to anything and everything. But my GAWD it was, and still is, hard to find a doctor to prescribe bioidentical hormones. Not only did you have to find one in your area that was willing to go along with you, you had to find a compounding pharmacy that would be willing to educate your doctor as to how to prescribe this newfangled old medicinal concoction.

What many of us didn't know was that, since 1986 there have been natural hormones on the market in a variety of forms. Gels, patches and pills are being manufactured by Bayer, Parke Davis, Novartis, Bristol Myers, Squibb and Pharmacia Upjohn. Our doctors can easily become familiar with them and would probably readily embrace these because they are mainstream.

These are just some bioidenticals that are available today:

• Alora: Watson Labs


• Climara: Bayer


• FemPatch: Parke Davis


• Vivelle-Dot: Novartis


• Estraderm: Novartis


• Esclim: Women's First Healthcare


• Estrace: Bristol Myers Squibb


• Estring: Pharmacia UpJohn


• Premetrium: Solvay


• Androgel: Unimed Pharmaceuticals


• Crinone: Columbia Labs

I've HEARD that taking unopposed estrogen is not recommended for women who have their uterus and ovaries. I've HEARD that if you're one of these women, you should always take estrogen in conjunction with progesterone. Be sure to review this point with your doctor. In fact, when you go to your doctor take this article with you and show him/ her the names of the bioidenticals and the drug companies that make them! I bet he/she will write you a prescription on the spot!