If you are a woman, you will likely spend more than one third of your life in post-menopause. If you are a man, your hormones won’t decline as rapidly but they decline nonetheless. In both cases, this decline leaves you open to age-related symptoms that range from annoying, such as hot flashes, fatigue and lowered sex drive that reduce your ability to enjoy life to threatening your health and independence due to osteoporosis, heart disease and reduced mental functioning. There is a safe way to ward off these symptoms and diseases. The judicious use of bio-identical hormones.
Our Approach
At FPHC, our goal is to prescribe the safest and most effective dosage of bio-identical hormone so that you can enjoy all of the health benefits without the risk. Your endocrine system functions like a symphony. In order for bio-identical hormones to be most effective, at the lowest dosages possible, your thyroid, adrenal and pituitary glands must also be functioning at their best. In your initial consultation, Dr. Bauerschmidt will assess your level of functioning and determine if testing and/or a program of strengthening your endocrine system is in order. This will insure that you will get the best result with the lowest dosage of any hormones that you may require.
Bio-Identical vs Synthetic Hormones
Bio-identical hormones, made from yams and soy beans, are substances that are exact chemical replicas of the estrogen, progesterone and testosterone that your body produces or produced naturally.
The current controversy over hormone replacement therapy in general has been fueled by the results of the Women’s Health Initiative study released in 2008. This study used synthetic hormones: horse estrogen and progestins that are totally synthetic and alien to your body. The controversy does not recognize the enormous difference between synthetic and bio-identical hormones.
The problem with synthetic hormones is that they are converted into substances that bind to your hormone receptors at a rate that is 2-3 times that of your own hormones or bio-identical hormones. The chemical structure of these substances is very different from the hormones that you body produces. Synthetic progestins tend to increase LDL (bad cholesterol) and decrease HDL (good cholesterol). The synthetic estrogen produce metabolites that increase inflammation, leading to hypertension, heart disease, strokes, blood clots, and cancer.
In contrast, bio-identical hormones, when properly adjusted for your individual needs provides protection against heart disease, osteoporosis and cancer. How much you need is based on your own hormone levels as well as how your body absorbs and metabolizes hormones.
