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Bio-identical hormonal replacement therapy: a safer and better alternative
Bio-identical hormonal replacement is basically a very easy and natural way to treat women who have stopped producing the natural estrogens they has produced their whole life. The word natural used here has two meanings: firstly, the estrogens are natural in that they are the exact same molecule she has produced in her ovaries her entire life, and also natural in that the base molecules come from plants. There are three primary estrogens produced by ovaries-estriol, estradiol, and estrone. In addition to producing these estrogens, the ovaries also make testosterone, DHEA, and progesterone. What is strived for in hormonal replacement is to replace these hormones exactly and in balanced safe, effective ratios. Conventional hormone replacement that has been done in the United States most often consists of horse urine derived conjugated estrogen (name brand is Premarin®) combined with a synthetic progestin, medroxyprogesterone (name brand Provera® (which is not progesterone and has severe side effects (see natural micronized progesterone). The progestin is given because estrogen alone (at least the horse urine forms) can cause an increased incidence of breast cancers and uterine cancer. The progestin is given to prevent that increase of risk of uterine cancer. The goal of bio-identical hormone replacement is to exactly replace the hormones your body formerly produced, rather than these synthetic drugs.
As far back as 1978, Dr. Alvin Follingstad issued a plea to physicians in the Journal Of The American Medical Society (JAMA) asking why we are using the the more harmful and dangerous estrogens when estriol is available as a safer, natural alternative to standard estrogen therapy. The article was called "Estriol, the Forgotten Estrogen".
Several studies have also shown estriol, again one of the bio-identical estrogens, to be a safer estrogen regarding breast cancer and the harmful building up of the lining of the uterus.
Many doctors feel that natural estrogens are better when used in combination. Dr. Jonathan Wright recommends using all three of the primary human estrogens (estriol, estradiol, and estrone) together in the same ratio as found in the body. He calls this formula tri-estrogen. Other doctors feel that it is better to use only estriol and estradiol together, leaving out the estrone because it seems to be the form of estrogen which feeds certain types of breast cancer. The combination of estriol and estradiol is called “Bi-estrogen”.
The horse urine estrogen Premarin® is converted primarily to estrone in the body, and estrone is the estrogen that feeds estrogen-dependent cancers of the breast and may play a role in their development.
Bio-identical hormonal replacement therapy is available to women and may be prescribed by any doctor and filled by a compounding pharmacy.
Natural, micronized progesterone is a much safer alternative to the conventional hormone replacement which has been used in the past, and offers the protection against uterine cancer and a multitude of other benefits as well (see natural micronized progesterone) |
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