Hormone imbalance is becoming more and more of a problem across ages
and genders. According to a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, sexual development in girls is starting at earlier and earlier ages. In men, testosterone levels have declined steadily over the past 20 years.
Needless to say, menopause is compounded by pre-existing hormone imbalance. Menopause for the average woman is more difficult and symptomatic than it was for our mothers and grandmother.
Some of the factors that are thought to "tip the balance" are:
- Poor diet
- Environmental sources of estrogen
- Hormones in meat and dairy products
- Obesity
- Stress (which causes the body to override it's normal production of hormones to increase the production of cortisol)
It helps to minimising these factors, but once the balance is tipped, a balanced hormone treatment is needed to supply what the body has lost (or to balance out the excess the body has gained).
So why BHRT?
Bioidentical hormones are molecularly identical to the hormones that are produced in the body. These hormones are derived from wild yam and are compounded into troches, cream, capsules or suppositories which help the body to absorb the active ingredients quickly and effectively.
The major benefit of BHRT is that treatment doses are individualised to each person’s specific needs. The required dosage and combination of the hormones are usually not commercially available. So the compounded bioidentical hormones are customised to match each woman’s individual needs. This is something that’s just not available with commercially produced products.
When the time is right, weaning off the treatment is much easier and controlled because the dose can be gradually reduced over time. This staged approach allows patients the best chance of weaning off the medication and staying symptom free.
