What are Bioidentical Hormones?

What Are Hormones?

  • Hormones are chemical substances that act as “messengers” by carrying information and instructions from one group of cells to another.
  • Hormones influence nearly every cell, organ, and function in the human body including:
    • Sexual function
    • Reproduction
    • Growth
    • Development
    • Repair
    • Brain function (i.e., memory, mood, concentration)
    • Metabolism (the way our bodies use and burn calories/energy)

What Are Bioidentical Hormones?

Bioidentical hormones have the exact molecular and chemical structure of the hormones produced by the human body. Some people make the false assumption that bioidentical hormones are called natural because they are found in nature. Although they are made from yams or soy, bioidentical hormones are man-made just as synthetic hormones are. The reason bioidentical hormones are considered natural is because they are exactly the same molecule as the hormones naturally found in the human body.

How Are Bioidentical Hormones Made?

Bioidentical hormones are manufactured by a biochemist in a laboratory. The biochemist extracts the base molecule from foods like soybeans or wild yams. The bioidentical hormone is formed through the addition of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen to the base molecule. The bioidentical hormone is then placed into different forms for administration. They can be administered as injectables, oral capsules, sublingual tablets, creams, gels, or pellets.

Why Bioidentical Hormones Are Better than Synthetic Hormones

Natural bioidentical hormones are a safer and more effective treatment of hormone imbalance than synthetic hormones. Synthetic hormones have foreign compounds that the human body does not recognize. For example, synthetic estrogen is produced from a pregnant horse’s urine and there are horse estrogens in this medication, which is harmful to the human body. Synthetic hormones act as toxins to the human body because their different chemical structure does not bind to the cell receptor and does not get broken down (metabolized) properly. Synthetic hormones have been shown to increase the risk of blood clots, heart disease, various cancers, strokes, and dementia.

Because bioidentical hormones are the same molecular stucture as the hormones produced by the human body, they exactly bind to the receptors of the cell and are properly metabolized. Bioidentical hormones do not have the same side effects as synthetic hormones.

Benefits of Bioidentical Hormones

  • Reduces overall body fat
  • Improves muscle tone
  • Increases energy levels
  • Improves sex drive
  • Improves frequency and intensity of orgasms
  • Increases muscle mass and strength
  • Results in wrinkle reduction with younger, tighter skin
  • Improves mood
  • Improves concentration
  • Improves memory
  • Improves sleep
  • Enhances exercise performance
  • Eliminates hot flashes
  • Eliminates night sweats
  • Decreases urinary tract infections
  • Improves cholesterol profile
  • Improves bone strength and bone density
  • Decreases risk of heart disease

If you’d like to learn more about bioidentical hormones and how bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) can help you relieve the symptoms of hormone decline, call us today. Our doctors have worked with thousands of patients just like you to restore hormone levels to youthful levels and design personalized nutrition, supplement and exercise programs that increase their well-being, relieve symptoms associated with aging, and dramatically decrease the risk of chronic disease.