Bioidentical Hormone Therapy

Hormone replacement therapy is a phrase used to describe a set of treatments that are used to reverse or slow the signs of aging as well as restore good health that has declined due to hormonal imbalance. Traditional hormone therapy utilizes synthetic hormones, or hormones that are designed in a laboratory with a slightly different chemical structure from hormones produced naturally in the body. The newest form of hormone replacement therapy utilizes a different set of chemicals that are generally derived from plant to treat hormone imbalance. These "bioidentical" hormones are chemically the same in structure and function to the hormones that are produced by the human body.

Traditional hormone therapy utilizing synthetic hormones has been associated with a number of health risks because of the fact that synthetic hormones differ chemically from those produced by the human body. The unique chemical structure of synthetic hormones was intentionally designed by scientists so that they could patent and sell these unique "hormones" to the public. In contrast, bioidentical hormones cannot be patented because you cannot put a patent on the hormones that are produced naturally by the human body.

The synthetic hormones used in traditional hormone therapy have been associated with various negative health effects including increased risk of breast and prostate cancers. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy has not been associated with these same risks, but in the interest of promoting sales of synthetic hormones, much effort has been put into confusing the general public about the similarities and differences between traditional hormone replacement and bioidentical hormone replacement.