When the WHI study reported its findings in 2002, they made no distinction between the synthetic hormones that were used in the study, and the natural bioidentical hormones. Because of this, it scared millions of women into stopping taking HRT, but then they were left not knowing what else to do to relieve their menopausal symptoms.
But today, there is good news. A growing number of clinical studies have shown that natural bioidentical hormones can ease menopause symptoms, restore hormone balance and help women achieve optimal health, without the side effects of the synthetic hormones. Bioidentical hormones are classified as bioidentical since they have the exact same molecular structure as hormones that naturally occur in the body. When used in the correct physiological doses, these bioidentical hormones can produce beneficial effects. In contrast, the synthetic HRT used in the WHI study is derived from horse urine and has a different molecular structure than human hormones.
Over the past decade, women, doctors and other health care professionals have used bioidentical hormones with great success and improvement in health, a finding confirmed by clinical research studies.
What are hormones and how do they work?
Hormones are our bodies’ chemical messengers. They travel through the bloodstream to trigger certain activities or changes in the body. Hormones work by binding to specialized areas of cells known as receptor sites. There they initiate a chain of events in specific cells or organs. For example, progesterone initiates a calming effect in the brain, reducing anxiety. When women enter into menopause, the production of certain hormones slow, thus causing the menopausal symptoms they experience. This is when most women begin using the hormone replacements. Not only women are using bioidentical hormone therapy anymore though. Anyone can receive a saliva test to determine which hormones their body is lacking, and then finding a good hormone replacement to help them feel “normal”.
Megan Mathews, Research and Content, March 11, 2006
Article Written By: Megan Mathews, Research and Content, March 11, 2006
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