Let’s start at the very beginning :)…

First came hormone replacement medications.  They are exactly what they sound like -medications that a patient takes to replace hormones that the body is no longer making.  This is a bit of a simplification, but you get the picture.  A good example of this is using hormone replacement therapy as a way to replenish estrogen levels that have decreased during/after menopause.

Most replacement hormones are derived from plants and animals-a substance from a plant or animal is synthesized into a chemical that will act similarly to a hormone in the human body.  For example, Premarin (an estrogen replacement medication) is derived from the urine from a pregnant mare…odd but true!

Then bioidentical hormones entered the scene.  Bioidentical hormones simply mean that the hormone replacements have the same chemical structure as hormones found in the human body.  The thought process here is that if the hormone replacements were more chemically similar to the hormones in the body, then they would work better and be safer.  It makes sense in theory but no studies have been able to prove that this is true.

Contrary to popular belief, bioidentical hormones are not actually collected from humans.  They are derived from plants and animals and are made synthetically.  So, all hormone replacements (even bioidentical hormones) are synthetic.

Recently, there has been a surge in popularity in compounded hormones.  These are hormones that are prepared as a specific strength for an individual patient at a compounding pharmacy.  Some think compounded hormones are better because they can be customized for each patient.

Drug companies do not like the idea of compounded hormones.  They prefer you buy their commercially available drugs (which are limited in available strengths).  For example, if you take Prometrium (bioidentical progesterone), Solvay Pharmaceuticals (the manufacturer) makes a profit, but if you have bioidentical progesterone compounded at your local pharmacy, Solvay Pharmaceuticals does not make any money.

Overall, hormone therapies are equally effective and have an equal level of risk.

This was bioidentical hormones in a nutshell.  I will definitely go more indepth.  I would love to hear your feelings on the issue -please leave a comment or shoot us an email!