What is Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT)

It is a treatment designed to replace hormones that are lost or not balanced due to the natural process of aging, or other factors that contribute to hormone imbalance such as in the postpartum period.  The treatment includes the use of hormones that come from natural sources such as soy products, yams, and even cactus to create matches of the hormones naturally produced in the body.  These hormones do not contain the same metabolites or by-products used in conventional hormone replacement therapy (HRT) which is typically made from the urine of pregnant mares, therefore, many of the negative side effects in traditional hormone therapy are not experienced with the use of BHRT.

Our hormones flow in a delicate balance, when unbalanced, this is when people start to have negative mood symptoms, depression, fatigue, insomnia and issues with memory.  The goal of BHRT is to restore the hormone imbalance and improve your overall health and well being.  It is intended to improve how you feel physically, and emotionally.  Not only this, but it has health promotional benefits such as improving cholesterol levels, decreasing cardiac risk, improving the risk of developing diabetes, decreasing premenstrual syndrome,  treating polycystic ovarian syndrome, and is a treatment for postnatal depression.

After a comprehensive health history and blood work, and a review of your symptoms a care plan will be developed specifically for you.  A specialized pharmacy compounds the hormones into doses specific to you.  The hormones can be in the form of creams, pills, troches, or some cases injections.  After therapy is started, follow-up appointments are completed every 3 months.  It is important to have close follow-ups to monitor symptoms, and adjust the hormones so that you achieve optimal wellness.  Along with hormone imbalances, some people have nutrient, vitamin, or mineral deficiencies, which is a part of functional medicine and can also help with overall wellness.

Traditionally, postpartum depression is treated with antidepressants, and in worse cases antipsychotics.  One 1 out of 7, to as little as 1 in 4 new mothers will suffer from postpartum depression.  Progesterone is the “feel good” anti-anxiety hormone of pregnancy and one of the reasons some women really enjoy being pregnant. Progesterone reduces insomnia through its natural sedating properties and has antidepressant effects.  After childbirth, there is a steep reduction in the amount of progesterone produced, which some research indicates is the cause of postpartum depression.  With the use of antidepressants, or with progesterone alone, many new mothers have an improved quality of life during the postpartum period.

Typical hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a commercial medication that is created from the urine of pregnant mares.  Commercially prepared HRT, because it is made from urine from mares when broken down by the human body, creates metabolites that cause some of the side effects associated with hormone therapy. Bioidentical hormones come from natural compounds such as soy products and yam.  Because BHRT is made from plants, they have a molecular structure that is identical to hormones found in the body.  When hormone levels become unbalanced or decrease, people begin to feel exhausted, irritable, depressed and decreased cognition. If the hormones are unbalanced for too long, health complications begin to arise including cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, cognitive ailments, and certain types of cancer.

Contact Holistic Health By MK today to find out more about our BHRT services and how we can help you.