Frequently Asked Questions
What are hormones and why do I need them?
Hormones are an essential part of the metabolic process of living. Hormones are important for the cells, organs, and metabolism. Our hormones decline through aging, menopause, disease or trauma. When this happens, we begin an accelerated aging process. Loss of hormones is one of the major reasons for our deterioration as we get older, both physically and mentally. Hormones are beneficial at any age, but the best long-term protective benefits are achieved if hormones are replaced when you begin to lose them, usually in our 40’s.
How are bioidentical estrogen and progesterone produced?
Hormones that are identical to human hormones are found in yams and soy. We call these “natural” because they are natural to the body. The hormones are extracted from these vegetables and then processed by a specialty compounding pharmacy into a prescription dose and form.
What are the problems with synthetic hormones?
When first developed, synthetic hormones were well received because they provided some of the benefits of hormone replacement: controlling the symptoms of menopause, fighting osteoporosis and heart disease. However, the long-term results have shown that synthetic hormones sometimes elicit a negative metabolic response. Some women cannot tolerate synthetic hormones – often suffering from side effects such as bloating, bleeding, or mood swings.
Synthetic hormones are not a perfect match in the body. Synthetic hormones produce abnormal metabolites that can cause side effects and increase the risk of cancer. A natural hormone is a perfect fit in the body- it is a biologically identical hormone replacement.
What are the signs of low progesterone and what are the health benefits?
Progesterone is responsible for balancing estrogen and the female reproductive cycle. Deficiency results in symptoms of PMS, bloating, headaches, cramping, mood swings, breast tenderness, and irritability. A deficiency in progesterone can be a factor in frequent miscarriages.
Research shows that natural progesterone stimulates bone-building osteoblasts, thus providing protection against osteoporosis. Progesterone reduces the mitotic change in breast and uterine tissue, thereby protecting against cancer. Progesterone is necessary for adequate sexual response, lubrication, and vaginal vasodilation. Progesterone is responsible for the physiologic equilibrium with estrogen. At menopause, women lose both estrogen and progesterone and both should be replaced. Progesterone replacement is important, even if you have had a hysterectomy because it does much more than just protect the uterus.
Source: Neil Rousier, MD, 2015