People who are Trying to Scare Others Away From the Use of Bioidentical Hormones

Here’s the facts:

-                     Everyday we are hearing more and more about "bioidentical" hormones being used instead of traditional hormones, or synthetic hormones,  for the relief of menopausal symptoms.  This subject has become one of the biggest debates among the Nation's leading organization of women's health physicians.

-                     Bioidentical hormones, or custom-compounded female hormones, and the method of preparation are being publically expressed as more effective and safe than the FDA approved methods of tratitional hormone replacement therapy. 

-                     When Suzanne Sommers released her book ranting about the youth-restoring powers of bioidentical hormones,  popularity of the custom hormones went on a dramatic rise. 

-                     But the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) still claim that there is no scientific evidence to back up the allegations of the hormones safety and effectiveness. 

-                     Bioidentical hormones are defined as plant-derived hormones that are bio-chemically similar to those produced by the body.

-                     The committee warned that women may not be getting what they think they are getting when they take these unregulated formulations.  "It is misleading and dishonest to make the claim that this approach is better and safer when there are no data to show this," says Michele Curtis, MD, who led the ACOG committee.

-                     Sales of custom-compounded hormonal preparations took off after the safety of commercially manufactured estrogen and progestin-based treatments were called into question in the summer of 2002.

-                     That was when a large government-funded study known as the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) linked their long-term use by older women with an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and breast cancer.

Bioidentical Medical Dictionary Home

Megan Mathews, Research and Content, March 11, 2006

Source:   http://www.webmd.com/content/article/114/111389.htm