What are bioidentical hormones (BH)? 

Hormone (such as estrone, estrogen, estradiol, thyroid, progesterone, testosterone, etc) play a dominant role in human body and mind including how you feel, your appetite,  sexual drive, ability to digest, reproduce, your metabolism, immunity, rate of breathing, blood circulation, heartbeat, and change in mood.

Bioidentical hormones are the types of hormones that are produced in a laboratory and have the same chemical components that the human body produces.

Conventional and Bioidentical

Conventional hormones are synthetic hormones or produced from the pregnant horses’ urine

Is compounded HRT a new drug requiring FDA approval?

• Compounding is not creating a new drug
• Compounded medications are regulated by state boards of pharmacy and are not subjected to federal laws (FDA) designed to regular mass-produced drugs.

What are compounded bioidentical hormones (cBH)?

These are custom made hormones containing androgens, progesterone, and estrogens made by a pharmacy to suit an individual’s requirements under the guidance of a doctor’s prescription. This method is known as Compounded Bioidentical Hormone Therapy (cBHT).

Why Compound HRT?

• For many patients, manufactured synthetic products are effective but for others, it’s not. This is because manufactured drugs simply don’t relieve the symptoms of menopause. Also, doctors determine that their patients need a lower dose than what is available commercially.
• Doctors find that the changing combinations of hormones in ways that are not commercially available may best alleviate their patients’ symptoms
• Doctors find different forms of medicines: gels, lotions, cream, liquids, capsules, troches are more effective for an individual patient
• If a patient experiences severe side effects from manufactured drug products which can sometimes be relieved by switching to compound alternatives
• When compounded hormones are prescribed, it is because doctors determine that their patients have a need for medications slightly different from what is manufactured 

What is bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT)?

It is the usage of those hormones identical at a molecular level with the endogenous hormones (i.e. endogenous hormones are generated within a system, for example, tissue, organism, or cell) in hormone replacement therapy (HRT). This is also called natural hormone replacement therapy (NHRT). It may be blended with saliva testing and blood or using the compounding techniques at the pharmacy (called as ‘Compounded Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (cBHRT)’ or compounded hormone replacement therapy) to attain a certain targeted level of hormones in the human body (called balanced level) to achieve mental and physical wellbeing.

Benefits | Why do we need this?

• To provide relief from the various symptoms of women human body, for example, menopause, perimenopause, including vaginal dryness, hot flashes, and mood swing
• To improve dry skin, and sleep
• To improve memory recall and thinking
• To reduce hair loss, fatigue
• To improve sexual drive between men, and women
• To increase muscle mass, appetite, and immunity
• To improve mood swing between men, and women
• To improve metabolism, blood circulation, and heartbeat rate
• To improve symptoms related to cancer or treat health conditions, for example – insulin resistance, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, adrenal and thyroid disorders

When and how to use it?

BHs are available in various forms, such as gels, tablets, injections (topical hormones), lotions, creams. Do check with your doctor which form will be best for you.

At Custom Health RX compounding pharmacy, our expert pharmacists take extra care to produce bioidentical hormones and start the BHRT under the guidance of an experienced physician. You can send your prescription via fax at 734-667-4400 to order this. Complete the webform or send an email at customhealthrx@gmail.com or chat with us if you don’t have a prescription and do not have a physician.

To check our other custom compounded medicines, please visit our compounding tab. If you want to buy ayurvedic medicines, you can visit our Ayurvedic page.

Risks

Majority of the BHs are produced and traded without any quality, safety, security, and purity check. Risks have not been adequately understood related to the less-controlled procedure of cBHT. Also, the side effects or long-term effects of using blood testing to reach balanced hormone levels or the precision and usefulness of saliva testing has neither been researched nor certainly proven. Sometimes, cBHs are more hazardous to the human body than that of synthetic hormones. Hence, several institutes are against the trade and utility of BHs. Some known side-effects are breast cancer, gallbladder and heart disease, stroke, skin rashes or dry skin, increased risk of blood clots.

Alternates to BHRT

Before considering BHRT, women, and men who have undergone other medicated procedures must consider a change in lifestyle or certain practices e.g. start eating a healthy, balanced diet and eating frequently, taking multivitamins, omega3 soft gel tissues, sleeping for 8 hours at a minimum, increasing exercises or workouts, trying to reduce stress and nervousness.