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The goal of hormone therapy is to manage the symptoms of menopause, not necessarily to restore or return to your previous hormone levels.

Menopause is a biological process that many people will experience at some point in their lives. During this time, your body goes through numerous changes as it adjusts to fluctuating hormone levels.

The hormones that once existed in such vast amounts begin to dwindle as you pass childbearing years, and they’ll continue to decrease throughout the rest of your life. These changes can cause symptoms like hot flashes, mood changes, and even depression.

Hormone therapy, formerly known as hormone replacement therapy (HRT), can make a big difference in counteracting these symptoms by supplementing the diminished hormones.

Synthetic

In the early years of hormone therapy, doctors most often prescribed it in the form of synthetic prescription medications. These drugs are made from a blend of hormones isolated from a pregnant horse’s urine.

Premarin is the synthetic form of estrogen, while Provera is the synthetic version of progesterone. Though synthetic drugs used to be the preferred therapy, they’ve become less popular in recent years.

Some risks were identified in clinical trials that led many people to seek out an alternative form of hormone therapy called “bioidentical HRT.”

Bioidentical

Bioidentical hormones are generally extracted from elements found in nature. Estrace and Vagifem are two examples of commercially available bioidentical hormone therapies.

The lack of information on the risks of bioidentical hormones causes many people to assume that these “natural” hormones are better or safer than synthetic hormones.

But the word “natural” is open to interpretation. Bioidentical hormones aren’t found in this form in nature. Rather, they’re made or synthesized from a plant chemical extracted from yams and soy.

Compounded

If your prescribed strength isn’t commercially available or if you need another form, you may consider a custom bioidentical compound.

Since each dose varies from person to person, compounded bioidentical hormones are difficult to test for safety and effectiveness overall.

The FDA has approved some bioidentical hormone supplements, including Bijuva, a bioidentical estradiol and progesterone capsule, but they do not regulate compounded hormone therapy.

In your childbearing years, your ovaries produce estrogen and progesterone. These hormones regulate your reproductive cycle and promote the body’s use of calcium.

The ovaries decrease their production of these hormones as you age, which often results in:

  • bone loss
  • low libido
  • low energy
  • mood changes
  • hot flashes

Hormone therapy replenishes estrogen and progesterone levels in the body, helping to reduce these effects.

In addition to easing the symptoms of menopause, hormone therapy may also reduce your risk for diabetes, tooth loss, and cataracts.

Combined estrogen and progesterone therapy for menopause has been linked to an increased risk for certain types of cancers, especially breast cancer.

Although the risk of breast cancer gradually increases with use, it decreases once hormone therapy is stopped.

On the other hand, a higher risk for uterine cancer also exists when menopausal people use estrogen only.

Other risks for people undergoing HRT include stroke.

Though there’s no definitive answer, most experts believe bioidentical hormone therapy involves the same risks as synthetic hormone therapy. Neither type is considered safer than the other.

Though there are risks involved with hormone therapy, it’s the most effective way to treat severe menopause symptoms and improve quality of life.

Make an appointment with a healthcare professional to discuss the potential benefits and risks of hormone therapy with your individual medical history. They can help you evaluate your options to create the best care plan for you.