Bioidentical Hormones in Menopause

Menopause is defined as a time period when the menstrual cycle and fertility come to an end. This is a natural physiological process which all women undergo. The time of onset of menopause varies from age 44-50. Menopause is associated with a lot of upheaval in the life of a woman. There are many physiological and emotional changes. One may feel tired, depressed, angry, many are not be able to sleep, become irritable, gain weight, develop pain in the muscles and lose interest in life. The chief reason for these symptons is the declining levels of female sex hormones. Menopause takes away everything that a female desires like sexuality and feminity. However, a solution can be found using Bioidentical hormones in menopause.


All women should understand that menopause is not an illness. Many women go through menopause and suffer no ill effects. However, there are others who simply need some type of treatment to help them get over this period of transition.

Today, bioidentical hormones are widely being used to treat symptoms of menopause. However, before one embarks on a treatment with bioidentical hormones, it is essential to discuss this with your health care practitioner. Not all menopausal women are candidates for bioidentical therapy; women who continue to have vaginal bleeding from an unknown source should wait until the cause has been identified. Women who have a history of blood clots or those who have breast cancer should not use these hormones. To know if you are a candidate for bioidentical hormones, one can quickly get an answer by doing a simple saliva test. The levels of hormones in the body can be measured in the saliva - the test is simple and involves no blood or needles. One can then obtain an individualized prescription of bioidentical hormones.

Bioidentical hormones are not synthetic like Premarin, but are obtained from extracts from plants such as yams. The hormones are extracted and can be combined in various formulations to suit your needs. Bioidentical hormones for menopause come as gels, creams, troches (lozenges), and injections.

It is important to ensure that your bioidentical hormone therapy combines estrogen with progesterone. Taking only estrogen alone is not safe as it has been liked to both uterine and breast cancer. One should always start at the lowest possible dose..

All women should understand that no matter how great bioidentical hormones are, one should also incorporate life style changes. One should avoid too much coffee and not smoke, eat healthy, perform pelvic exercise to strength lower abdominal wall muscles, optimize sleep and exercise regularly. All women who do take bioidentical hormones in menopause should be followed by a health care professional.