Bioidentical Hormone Therapy
Whatever your hormonal concern may be, the major benefit of working with Dr. Mary Choi, ND is that unlike conventional hormone management, she will customize your hormones and follow them with close monitoring to modify your hormone replacement therapy and fit your wellness needs.
What are Bioidentical Hormones?
Your hormones control basically every bodily function. These hormones are your internal messagers that serve to make magic happen. They work as a complex communication system, coordinating everything from growth, digestion, appetite, mood, immunity, and libido.
Bioidentical hormones are hormones that are synthezied in a lab. They have the same molecular structure as the hormones you produce in your body. These differ from the synthetisezed hormones that are made for Traditional HRT, such as the birth control pill and the progestin IUD. HRT hormones are similar and mimic the similar actions as the hormones that you make, but they are not the same molecular structure.
Common hormones that are used for bioidentical replacement therapy (BHRT) are estrogen, progesterone, DHEAs and testosterone. Often when people’s hormones drop or become unbalanced, hormone replacement therapy is used to ease and improve symptoms.
Does this sound familiar?
- You feel like your hormones taking over your life
- You have tried everything to lose weight and can’t move the needle
- You are exhausted and can’t cope like you used to
- Your PMS takes over your mood making you irritable, angry, and tearful
- You experience breast tenderness, headaches, sleeplessness, acne, and anxiety before your period
- Your period is extremely heavy, or irregular cycles (frequent or missed periods)
- You experience hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, anxiety, and low mood with your period cycles
- You experience recurrent urinary tract infections and bladder changes
- You experience vaginal pain and dryness
- Your libido is a distance memory
What is Bioidentical Hormone Therapy (BHRT)?
BHRT can be used to treat women when their hormone levels drop or become unbalanced. It’s most frequently used to ease symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. Common reasons to use BHRT are:
- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Vaginal dryness
- Loss of libido
- Pain during sex
- Problems sleeping
- Loss of energy
- Fatigue
- Loss of muscle mass
- Weight gain
- Foggy thinking
- Mood changes
- Memory loss
Bioidentical Hormone Therapy uses man-made hormones that are the same molecular structure as the ones your make.
What do bioidentical hormones do?
Our female hormones swell and fall many times during our period cycle. Due to our age, egg reserve, nutrition, stress, insulin regulation and testosterone levels (e.g. PCOS), those swells and falls can greatly impact how we feel.
Bioidentical hormone therapy (BHRT) can help to balance out the highs and lows to improve mood, brain fog, sleep quality and quantity, vaginal and pelvic floor health, hot flashes, bone health and support healthy ovulation. There is much more growing research available supporting hormone use for bone health, brain health, dementia prevention, mood health, cardiovascular and metabolic health.
Are Bioidentical Hormones Safe?
Any type of hormone-based therapy including bioidentical hormones carries risks. Routes of deliver such as topical, vaginal, oral affects how hormones are absorbed in your body. Topical bio-identical hormones therapy of estrogen and oral progesterone (this is not progestin, which is a synthetic progesterone) do not carry the same level of risk as what traditional HRT treatments studies found when using oral estrogen and progestin (synthetic progesterone).
The best way to determine if bioidentical hormone therapy is for you is to have a discussion with Dr. Mary to see if you are a candidate for bioidentical hormone therapy.
How do you take Bioidentical hormones?
Hormones can be taken orally, topically as a cream or gel, vaginally, and as a patch. The best route of delivery and dose depends on your symptoms and your needs. Talk with Dr. Mary to find out the best way to take your hormones for your unique health goals..