A Look At Bioidenticals

More Information About Menopause And Hormone Replacement Therapy

(CBS)  To control the symptoms of menopause, women took synthetic estrogen replacement therapy. It promised strong bones, healthy hearts and cancer-free golden years. Instead, it increased many women's health risk. But are biologically identical natural estrogens any safer?

What Is Bioidentical Hormone Therapy?

Bioidenticals are synthetic hormones used instead of traditional hormones for menopause. They are derived from soy and yam extracts, and are structurally identical to those hormones found in a woman's body. However, they are not approved by the FDA.

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.

What Did The Women's Health Initiative Study Show?

The 2002 Women's Health Initiative was a large, multitiered clinical trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. It reported that hormone replacement therapy actually posed more health risks than benefits for women in the clinical trial. As the number of health hazards attributed to hormone replacement therapy grew, doctors discontinued routine prescriptions for this popular treatment, according to the Mayo Clinic.

What Are Some Recommended Strategies To Cope With Hot Flashes And Night Sweats?

According to WebMD, some alternative treatments include:

Wearing layered cotton clothing

Avoiding coffee, alcohol, and spicy foods

Reducing stress with deep breathing exercises, medication, or yoga

Sipping cool drinks throughout the day and using ice packs

Getting regular exercise

To learn more about menopause:

• Click here to read more about menopause from The Women's Health Initiative.

• The North American Menopause Society, the leading nonprofit scientific organization devoted to understanding menopause, has useful information about bioidenticals.

• Dr. Erika Schwartz, a physician and
patient advocate with 31 years of clinical experience can help answer you questions about menopause.

• Click here to read an interview with Dr. Isaac Schiff, Joe Vincent Meigs Professor of Gynecology at Harvard Medical School and Chief of the Vincent Obstetrics and Gynecology Service at the Massachusetts General Hospital

• Read about the benefits and disadvantages of hormone replacement therapy from the Mayo Clinic.

[DebWells]

It IS all about money! The American Women are FINALLY starting to take their own health seriously and they are VOTING with their hard earned dollars.

We FEEL better, our fibroid cysts are gone...as well as out hot flashes, night sweats, restless legs. Our libidos are returning as well as our zests for life....

Good Grief.....if it's made in the back room of a pharmacy then we don't know what we are getting....the SAME can be said of any of the other compounded meds that mainstream medical Dr.s prescribe. This is clearly a *situational ethics* comment by the Dr. who is MISSING all of the golf games that his patients used to pay for, by way of filling his prescriptions....

We as aging women, with husbands, children and now grandchildren are not buying into the the 5 minutes worth of information we are getting from our Dr.s during our all too brief appointments any longer.....I tell you waht....if the pharmacy's succeed in removing bio-identicals from the market....you think a million man march on the nations capitol was impressive?? Just wait..........a million hormonal women marching might be something worth watching as well!!!!

Leave us alone.....we KNOW how we feel and after having gone the traditional HRT route and ending up with fibrocystic breast for the first time in my life among a host of other wretched side effects......I will NEVER go that route again....ever...and neither will my girls!

We may have been born at night but not LAST night......

[traductrice]

It is sad that people are duped into believing
that there is a wonder drug for all our ills.
I have never taken any prescribed medications for symptoms of menopause. I had some hot flashes in the middle of the night about 9-10 years ago, that was it.. I bought some Black Cohosh root tablets cause I read about it on the internet and took them for about 3 months. Low and behold my symptoms disappeared after about a month, I discontinued taking the tablets and my symptoms never returned.. I can't really understand what all the fuss is about with a few hot flashes.. Menopause is totally overrated. We have become a nation of incurable hypochondriacs. Get over it. I realize others may have more extreme symptoms, but I am also sure that my experience cannot be totally outside the realm of what is "normal".
Linda in So. Cal.

[nefferdun]

Bio Identical hormones literally changed my life.
I suffered from daily hormones for years. I also could not sleep at night and had hot flashes every hour. My life was miserable. Other types of hormonal treatments did not alieviate my problems. The migraines became relentless on HRT. Finally someone suggested Bio Identical hormone. The migraines almost disappeared. I could sleep like a normal person and I have forgotton what it feels like to have a hot flash.
Even if this causes me cancer sometime in the future, it is worth the quality of life I enjoy now. I would never regret it.

[bobsutton99]

As the husband of a Neonatal Nurse of 54 I have lived paralell through the variety of symtoms and "solutions" to the menopause nightmare and can say with confidence that bioidentical hormones carefully applied have made a vast difference in my wife. Further as a former chemistry student I know that there can be a world of difference between the patentable analogs and the actual body produced hormones in proper proportions. I think that the doctor from the North American Menopause Society was on shakey ground when he stated that the cancer rates would be "identical." I notice that his link on your website is dead. I suspect that may be at least symbolic of his real connection to the problem. I wonder how much Xanax he prescribes for the symptoms. That was the first offering to my wife and was first in a long list of things tried til she finally tried replacing natural *** hormones with identical ones. Note that these are not home cooked medicines but are made, I believe, by Upjohn in bulk. I hope this women's (and therefore men's) problem will be investigated eventually, but the profit motive will not drive it. Kudos for looking at a big but little seen problem.

[memerider]

Since the science really isn't conclusive about menopause, this is an area where we all are guinea pigs, no matter what choice we make. The scientific community hasn't taken an interest in menopause until recently, and my own mother tries to tell me she just breezed through (while dad, the sibs, and I would say that's not even close!). I know I've had "symptoms" of my own menopause.

If I think my symptoms are disruptive enough, I will try to find something that works--whether "natural," "herbal," or straight from a chem lab. The limited science available and the conflicting testimonials just don't say how any intervention will work for *me.* We are too individual.

[biohrtcom]

To find out further information regarding Bio-identical hormones, visit biohrt.com Start Balancing Your Life Today!

[mickeyalbini]

I started on synthetic hrt back in 2002. After reading the studies, I changed to bio-identical hormone replacement therapy and am convinced that it is the best choice. My symptoms, for the most part have disappeared and I am a much healthier and happier person. Every so often I test the waters and stop my bio's only to find that after 4 years I still need them.

[JMERE1235]

As a user of both traditional(in the past) and Bio-identical hormones(currently) there is no comparison in the way I feel on BHRT. I now educate on bio-identicals after having my own conversion experience. No woman ever died from a hot flash but depression, mood swings, irritability, insomnia, etc can affect the way I am able to perform and perform my daily task efficently and safely. I too felt like someone else was in possession of my own body at times, today I do not feel like that. I believe getting through menopause is a multi-facet problem. Women need to deal with and learn to handle stress, to take better care physically ,emotionally and spiritually as well all of these thing along with the cinderella slipper of the hormones being returned to age appropriate level all lead to what I call as "aging gracefully". Before bio-identicals I was doing alot of kicking and screaming.

[JMERE1235]

OH, and by the way even though the North American Menopause Society is a not- for profit orginization who do you think some of their largest contributors are??? I'll give you 3 guesses and the first two do not count. It is the major drug companies such as Wyeth-Ayrest the manufacturers of Premarin. So what opion do you think you are going to have from organizations that are being supported by the synthetic drug manufacters.

[judyr64]

I had cervical cancer at 32 & luckily it was caught early & it hadn%u2019t spread beyond my cervix. After 2 cone biopsies, I never felt the same. I went to quite a few drs including Mayo Clinic & they were so clueless as to what was wrong w/me. I finally found a menopause dr who tested my hormones & they were very low. I had a hysterectomy & my hormones plummeted even more. She only believed in FDA approved hormones such as estradiol, estratest & androgel. None of those agreed w/my body. Then I read Suzanne Somer%u2019s books & made an appt w/Dr Robert Greene. That was a yr ago & they worked w/me to find the right dosage for my body. My body loves the bio-identical hormones! I realized w/out them my body was literally shutting down, I couldn't sleep, memory loss, anxiety attacks, putting on excess weight, lack of energy, I couldn't digest food properly & that is only a few symptoms. As the hormone levels were increased, 1 by 1 all those symptoms disappeared. Many of those other Drs wanted to put me on anti-depressants & I know so many women go on that stuff when they may actually have a hormonal imbalance. Women need to take control of their own healthcare & understand what their hormone levels are. All women should have their hormones checked during their yrly checkup. It is all about quality of life, if I hadn%u2019t switched to bio-identical hormones, who knows how many more yrs I could have gone on. Now I am renewed, invigorated & I feel like I am starting my life all over again.

[judyr64]

I also applaud Katie and CBS for bringing this topic to light, hopefully it will lead other women to help via bio-identical hormones.

[cmpdrx]

So, let's see.... I make Bio-identical HRT that benefit patients in their everyday life in the "back" of my "state of the art" pharmacy with windows peeking into it so all my patients know exactly what's going on, out state boards inspect us on a regular basis. Hmmm, I wonder who's more trustworthy, the neighborhood pharmacist? Or... the corporate genous that made a sick boardroom joke and must have invented the name for the most popular form of hormone replacement therapy in the U.S. until the WHI report poo-pooed it? PRE-MA-RIN Pregnant-Mares-Urine. A hormonal coctail of estrogens from a horse! Bring it on Baby!

[harshmac]

Finally! A little national coverage on a very important topic to half of the viewing audience. I have used both HRT in the past and BIOS now and am here to say that there is a world of difference! I feel so much better and am confident that I am not hurting my body. Thanks to Katie and CBS for airing this segment.

[suebackus-2009]

I tried Estrogen and was sick as a dog (sorry puppies)my doctor told me I had to stay that way for a month to get used to them. I could not visualize doing that, so I threw them away. I found a doctor who prescribed Bio identical hormones and I an a new woman. I have been on the for a year and cannot imagine life without them. I had a hysterectomy 4 years ago and went into menapause soon after. Youcan give all the hints for dealing with hot flashes, but none work. And if you ever had one, you would take anything no to. I barely have mood swings and hot flashes are nextto gome. Big drug companies are trying to take away the ability to get bio's but that is because they don't make them and can't make money from them. Drug (and insurance) companies are running this country and it's time we stopped them.
On another note, why don't insurance companies cover hearing aids? Do you realize they actually say they are cosmetic? It's time we spoke out for ourselves. How many seniors are not leading quality lives because they can't get hearing aids? How many people work (like myself) and have to spend a great amount of their income on hearing aids? It just isn't fair and it isn't right.........

[diane1126]

I am a 51 year old that has been on BHRT since Feb 2006 and I am so thankful for Suzanne Somers books! I read her first book but held off seeking a Dr. who practiced BHRT and tried acupuncture and other homepathic remedies. While the acupuncture helped with stress, it did nothing for the menopausal symptoms, neither did the supplements of black cohash and other remedies. I also read Dr. K. Northrup's book and tried progesterone creams after reading about estrogen dominance. No help. Finally I found a Dr. in Manchester, CT who is my savior! My saliva tests showed a significant decrease in estrogen, cortisol and testosterone. Adrenal fatigue is another area I am treated for. I now have energy, less moodiness, a *** drive and a decrease in symptoms.
My quality of life is now renewed and I don't experience the "menopause fog" thanks to bioidenticals. I was interviwed for a spot on NBC Nightly News last night. What a joke. They didn't include my interview, only a 1/2 a minute shot. And Dr. Synderman inappropriately made comments that the "jury was out" against bioidenticals and that she would not take them. Very biast and I wonder if the drug companies are in the background of NBC. CBS was much more open and educational for the public. And, this isn't just for women, menexperience their symptoms too as they age. My husband will be seeing my Dr. soon for his saliva tests!
Diane Martin
Hope Valley, RI

[hormonemd]

I am so excited to see this finally getting national attention. Having treated hundreds of patients with Bio-identical Hormones I have seen first hand the life changing results that my patients experience. HormonePhysicians.com offers a complete video library on Hormone Imbalances. I would also recommend HormoneBalance.org as an excellent resource for BHRT.
Dr. Morgan Williams