Understanding Bioidentical Hormones

It’s natural for hormones to decrease as one ages and women have two hormone replacement therapy options to choose from: One is to use traditional prescription hormones such as estrogen and progesterone in the same dose as is prescribed for all women. The other option, Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy, uses custom compounded, plant-based hormones that are an exact match to those your body produces naturally.

Both men and women face this issue and the sometimes uncomfortable symptoms that accompany a decline in hormones. Symptoms may include weight gain, hot flashes, insomnia, loss of bone density, sexual dysfunction, and more.

Thankfully, there are some great safe and effective treatments available to help the body balance the hormones essential to maintaining health and a clear head with the guidance of doctors that specialize in hormone replacement therapy.

What Are Bioidentical Hormones?

Bioidentical hormones are 100% identical to the hormones made naturally by your body. They are created synthetically out of plant material and are developed in a lab. However, recognize that this process is still natural since they are created with items found in nature. The reason behind this is because these hormones don’t exist on their own in nature. The bioidentical hormones your doctor prescribes will likely be custom made in a compounding pharmacy to exactly match your individual chemistry.

How does Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy Work?

The purpose of bioidentical hormone therapy is to replicate and balance the amount and the molecular structure of hormones made naturally in the body. Why? Because this is the only way that the body’s receptor sites can ‘unlock’ and therefore utilize the hormone. Our bodies work on a cellular level. If hormones that are not bioidentical are introduced into the body, the body’s cells are the ones that actually must change to accommodate the non-bioidentical hormones and give the cells the ability to unlock. However, many people who experience non-bioidentical hormones say that they still don’t feel 100% ‘right’, and they still experience some or all of their symptoms in some form or another.

Amazingly, the body will never know the difference between the bioidentical hormones taken during bioidentical hormone therapy and the hormones that the body produces on its own. This has been proven in blood testing.

Commonly Used Bioidentical Hormones

The most commonly used hormones include:

• Estrogen is found in both men and women. It supports heart health, blood sugar regulation, brain power, skin, bones, and joints. When imbalanced, the person may feel bloated, irritable, fatigue, and much more.
• Just like estrogen, testosterone is found in women and men. It’s an important hormone for reproductive health, muscle mass, metabolism, energy, and libido. Low testosterone could lead to weight gain, fatigue, increased cholesterol, and low endurance.
• Both men and women need progesterone to regulate and support moods, stress, and sleep. Progesterone is one hormone that can be decreased as stress increases. Both men and women report feeling tired and irritable when progesterone is low.
• DHEA is essential to every other hormone in the body. It helps the body produce testosterone and estrogen, and it assists in increasing energy levels. When DHEA is low, people are tired, gain weight, stress out, and the rest of the body’s hormones can also imbalance because of it.

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy at KOI Wellbeing

KOI Wellbeing uses only the highest-quality, custom compounded hormones made in accredited compounding pharmacies listed on the web site of the Pharmaceutical Compounding Accreditation Board (PCAB) in a bioidentical hormone therapy regimen that is custom-built for your body’s unique needs. Contact us today for an appointment to discuss if bioidentical hormones are right for you.