Whole Health Chicago

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement

Bioidentical hormones can ease a painful menopause transition, and you won’t need to take them forever.

Levels of the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone go into free-fall in the years leading up to menopause, causing symptoms that can include hot flashes/night sweats, vaginal dryness, mild depression, headaches, fatigue, brain fog, and urinary incontinence.

Many women ask if there are any problems involved in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The short answer is no. A small but rapidly growing group of physicians believes the health problems associated with traditional HRT have everything to do with the source of the sex hormones themselves. Premarin, the top-prescribed estrogen, comes from the urine of a pregnant horse. Premarin simply is not the same molecule as the estrogen of a human female.

If you choose to restore your hormone levels, you want to use hormones that are identical to your own–hence the term “bioidentical” hormones. What we know for certain is that bioidentical hormones effectively relieve menopause symptoms. The ultimate goal when using bioidentical HRT is to replicate as closely as possible your hormone status when you were about fifteen years younger.

Bioidentical hormones are available from compounding pharmacies throughout the US. We’ve prescribed them to thousands of women for more than 17 years. Usually a single office visit is all that’s necessary, along with a recent Pap smear and mammogram.

David Edelberg, MD

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