Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy is most often used for menopause. Typical symptoms of menopause may include hot flashes, vaginal dryness, low libido, weight gain, irritability, moodiness and sleep disturbances. Yet any woman who has experienced endometriosis, PMS, weight gain, low libido or fibrocystic breasts may also need to contact their pharmacist or physician.
Women have traditionally used synthetic estrogen therapy to treat menopausal symptoms and to help protect against osteoporosis. Another option for women needing hormone therapy may be the use of bio-identical hormones rather than synthetic ones. Compounding pharmacists are meeting the needs of peri-menopausal and menopausal women through the use of plant-derived hormones that are biologically identical to those naturally occurring in women.
No two women are alike, and thus the value of bio-identical hormone replacement therapy is that it can be adapted to fit your individual body and hormone levels. In fact, hormones can be made in a variety of strengths and dosage forms including capsules, topical creams and gels, suppositories and sublingual troches or lozenges.
With the help of a doctor and compounding pharmacist, a woman can start and maintain a bio-identical hormone replacement regimen that closely mimics what her body has been doing naturally for years.