Oct 10 2011
How to Take Bio-identical Hormones
Once you have decided that you want to improve your life, your health, end your symptoms of menopause and all that goes with this difficult time in life, you must first find a doctor that can prescribe bio-identical hormones. Perhaps your own doctor does, in fact, prescribe bioidentical hormones – natural bioidentical estradiol, estriol and progesterone. The easiest way to find out is to ask and to tell him or her that you want to treat your menopause with natural bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) and that you would like a hormone test.
This baseline hormone level test will either be a blood test or a saline test. Hormone test will measure the level of estrogen, estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, thyroid hormone levels. The test will take about five business days when your doctor will receive the results. Your doctor will give you a prescription that you can take to a compounding pharmacy. If your doctor specializes in bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, he or she may be able to recommend a good compounding pharmacy in your neighbourhood. A compounding pharmacy will make up your individual prescription which is formulated to your own needs to only replacement the hormones which have decreased in your body. The aim of natural bioidentical HRT is to replace only the hormones your body needs replenishing.
Natural bioidentical hormones are made into creams which come in either a jar or a syringe (the dose appears smaller but is more concentrated and is less messy than using the spoon and the jar) or they are available in what is known as a troche – a lozenge or as pellet (pellet therapy). Creams in a jar or a syringe are the best way to administer bio-identical HRT, but some people do not absorb the cream through the skin so the doctor prescribes troches.
Natural bioidentical estrogen preparations are usually made up of two of the three estrogens – including estradiol and estriol (the weaker estrogen).
Your estrogen preparation will be taken twice a day, at the same time everyday to mimic the body’s supply of estrogen. Progesterone will be taken for 14 days, from day 14 to day 28. After you stop the progesterone on day 28, you will get a period.
A doctor will then want to know how you are feeling after you have taken natural bio-identical hormones for a couple of months. Be sure to tell him or her of any symptoms you may be experiencing and they will adjust your dosage accordingly.
Relief from menopause symptoms will come after a few days to a few weeks of using the bioidentical hormones. Also remember that you must not only use natural bio-identical HRT, but you must also make some big lifestyle changes such as regular exercise, nutritional supplementation, stress reduction, quitting smoking to enjoy the best health in your menopausal years and beyond.
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