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Bio-identical Hormone Replacement
The natural HRT choice
Hormone-related symptoms or problems are numerous during the lifetime of women. |
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- PMS
- Mood swings
- Menopause hot flashes
- Uterine fibroids
- Low libido
- Heart disease
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- Osteoporosis
- Breast pain
- Infertility
- Endometriosis
- Painful menstruation
- Fibrocystic breasts
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Today there is an alternative to traditional synthetic hormone replacement (conjugated equine or horse estrogens and medroxyprogesterone). It's bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) or natural hormone replacement therapy and Atlantic Coast Compounding can supply your needs..
BHRT includes estrogens (estrone, estrodiol & estriol), progesterone, testosterone, DHEA and pregnenolone.
Atlantic Coast Compounding has helped thousands of women with hormone-related problems and we can help you. Private consultations with our compounding pharmacist will answer all your questions regarding hormone replacement therapy We will work with you and your physician to develop a customized hormone replacement plan that best suits you.
Blood and saliva test ordered by your physician will determine if you need hormone replacement therapy.
Saliva hormone tests reflect the tissue concentration of your hormones. Active tissue concentration fraction measurements are superior to blood and urine measurements both in diagnosis and treatment.
Many women experience significant changes in their health before, during and after menopause. Many of these health problems are associated with hormone imbalances that may be overcome with BHRT. Hormones are powerful chemical messengers that circulate throughout the bloodstream to specific target cells where they generate biological responses. Women have traditionally used “synthetic” estrogens and progestins (traditional HRT) to protect against osteoporosis and heart disease. It has been suggested that these “synthetic” hormones offer some protection against heart disease and osteoporosis but have many unwanted side effects. Because of these side effects many women abandon traditional HRT very soon after starting. This has led to a strong interest in the use of bio-identical hormone replacement therapy.
Benefits of BHRT include:
- fewer side effects compared with traditional HRT
- increased protection against osteoporosis
- decreased bone loss
- effective in testing menopausa symptoms
- decreases the risk of Alzheimer's disease and colorectal cancer
Bio-Identical or "Natural" vs Synthetic
Bio-Identical means that the hormones are an exact match to the hormones produced by the human body. They could also be called human-identical. These hormones get their start in nature. Found in soy beans and wild yams, they can then be easily converted into the exact hormones that the body makes. The body can recognize these bio-identical hormones and uses them just as it would if the ovaries, testes, or adrenal glands were producing them. Most side effects seen with bio-identical hormones are associated with incorrect dosing. By making slight variations in the dose, or dosage form, the side effects often disappear.
The body does not easily recognize synthetic hormones even though they may produce similar effects. Because they are hundreds of times more potent than the hormones that our bodies make, they are linked to many side effects.
Compounding offers you and your physician a choice for individualized hormone treatment using natural materials. Therefore, side effects are alleviated.
BHRT requires a written prescription by a licensed medical practitioner.
No two women are alike, of course, and the value of bio-identical hormone replacement therapy is that it can be adapted to fit your individual body and hormone levels. In fact, hormones can be made in a variety of strengths and dosage forms including capsules, topical creams and gels, suppositories and sublingual troches or lozenges. With the help of your doctor and a compounding pharmacist, a woman can start and maintain a bio-identical hormone replacement regimen that closely mimics what her body has been doing naturally for years. |
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North Carolina Association of Pharmacists