Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy - Is it Safe?

In the recent past, Oprah Winfrey's show on bioidentical hormone replacement therapy has sparked a fresh wave of interest in the therapy. Through shows such as these and popular books like Suzanne Somers' Ageless and The Sexy Years, women are fast becoming aware of treatment options that can give them a fresh and longer go at looking and feeling young. However, there are many questions to be answered, the most important of all being whether these treatments are successful and whether the hormones are safe in the long run.

How successful are these treatments?
There are different forms of bioidentical hormones and different hormones work in different ways. Therefore, it is important to treat each patient in a manner that her unique physiology responds to the treatment most effectively. Many experts agree that both male and female patients have experienced tremendous success with these treatments. However, it is also seen that treatment is more successful when it is tailored to suit individual requirements of patients.

Experts also point out that hormones, whether they are bioidentical or synthesized, have to be treated with a lot of respect. Therefore, these are not necessarily the first step in achieving hormonal balance. At the onset of menopause or andropause, many women and men can find natural relief from bothersome symptoms through diet and lifestyle changes alone. It is only when these steps have been tried and tested and the results are not up to the expectations that therapy has to be considered.

How safe are they?
Coming to the second most important question - there are medical studies that suggest that bioidentical hormone therapy is safer than synthetic hormones. The greatest advantage of this kind of therapy is that it makes use of natural hormones that are similar in molecular structure to the hormones produced in the body. Therefore, the body is equipped to metabolize these hormones quickly. Side effects are minimal too. On the other hand, synthetic hormones are not identical to the hormones naturally produced by the body. Thus, they may have unpredictable and undesirable side effects.

In addition to the above, bioidentical hormone therapy also has another appeal for patients and doctors alike. These hormones are available in different doses and can therefore be calibrated and matched to suit the individual needs of different patients. This is something that mass produced synthetic hormones cannot achieve.

That said, it is important to know that there are no long term studies have been conducted on bioidentical hormones as of now. Therefore, the long term impact of bioidentical hormone therapy is hard to predict with any degree of certainty.