| Bioidentical hormone replacement
therapy. BHRT is the use of supplemental doses of hormones that
have a chemical structure identical to the hormones that the
human body naturally produces. |
| Treats the symptoms of menopause,
perimenopause and post menopause. |
| If bioidentical hormones are purchased
at a compounding pharmacy, a cocktail of hormones is created,
uniquely tailored for each individual patient. If they're
purchased at a conventional pharmacy, these hormones are
available in a range of set doses. In both instances, the
prescriptions are based on a series of tests administered by a
doctor. Many of the bioidentical hormones used are made from
soybeans and wild yams, which contain unique compounds that are
processed chemically and made into identical replicas of
hormones the body produces. They are used for their
cost-effectiveness as well as their ability to readily extract
compounds and turn them into exact replicas of human hormones. |
| After a doctor determines a patient is
in hormonal decline, he or she will administer static dosing,
which is when hormone levels are approximated and a patient is
prescribed the same amount of estradiol every day of the month.
On days 18 to 28, a doctor would prescribe a static dose of
progesterone to imitate what the body made previously. |
| Static dosing is one manner. There also
is rhythmic cycling, which is based on the cycles of nature and
is meant to mimic the time during which women are at their
reproductive peak. Rhythmic cycling is a relatively new approach
in BHRT. |
| Estrogen, Progesterone, Testosterone
Levels, FSH,
Thyroid Panel (TSH, T3, T4, Thyroxine Index), Reverse T3 |
