BHRT For Women
What is BHRT For Women?
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is the use of “bioidentical hormones” to supplement your body’s natural supply when you aren’t producing enough on your own for optimal health. Hormones are messenger chemicals that tell other parts of the body how and when to work. They control almost all tasks in the body. Low or imbalanced hormone levels can have widespread effects on your health and feeling of well-being. In women, BHRT is most used to address the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. However, hormone imbalances can occur at any age, even in women as young as in their 20s.
Bioidentical hormones, which are derived from plant estrogens, have the same molecular structure and act the same as natural human hormones. The most common hormones used in BHRT for women are estrogens (estradiol (E2) and estriol (E3)), progesterone. testosterone, pregnenolone, and/or DHEA.
Bioidentical hormones can be custom compounded for an individual patient, according to a provider’s orders.
Benefits of BHRT for Women
When a woman’s hormones are out of balance, hormone replacement therapy may help relieve a wide array of different symptoms, both physical and emotional. BHRT may alleviate symptoms by tackling the root cause, not just the symptoms themselves.
It has been shown to:
- Lessen hot flashes and night sweats
- Relieve vaginal symptoms, such as dryness, itching, burning, and painful intercourse
- Improve sleep
- Increase energy
- Ease an overactive bladder and other urinary issues
- Relieve joint aches and pains
- Protect your bones to prevent future fractures
- Stabilize your mood, improve depression and anxiety
- Lower your risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes
- Reduce the irritability and brain fog that goes with insomnia
- Enhance your memory
In addition to regulating menstruation, estrogen can impact a woman’s urinary tract, heart and blood vessels, bones, breasts, skin, hair, mucous membranes, pelvic muscles, thyroid, and brain. New research is demonstrating the protective effect of estrogen on many organs and systems throughout a woman’s life. That’s why the benefits of female BHRT may also include improvements in the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, metabolic syndrome, Parkinson’s, PTSD, psoriasis, scleroderma, lupus, multiple sclerosis (MS), and other chronic conditions.
Common Dosage Forms
A variety of BHRT in multiple dosage forms for women currently fall within our formulary.
For more information, see our pages on:
How Belmar Can Help
If you are a woman who is experiencing or concerned about any of the symptoms on this page, start a conversation with your doctor. Together, you can decide if a compounded prescription might be a good option for you.
If you are a clinician interested in prescribing compound medications to your patients, contact us for information on how to get started and how to access all of our clinical resources. If you are new to compounding, you may find our page on How to Write a Compounding Prescription helpful. You can also visit our Medication Options page to find a formulary and learn more about all the medication solutions available from Belmar.
