Trends in Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) for Menopause

Trends in Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) for Menopause
Each month there are more articles in health and consumer
magazines talking about the fact that women in menopause
are now taking bioidentical hormone replacement therapy
(BHRT). Exactly what are bioidentical hormones?

Bioidentical hormones are molecules that are the same as
the endogenous hormones made in a person's body. They are
not exactly the same, but the molecules are the same, and
they are derived in a lab from plants. These bio-identical
hormones are often referred to as natural. BHRT differs
from conventional hormone replacement therapy, which by
definition uses animal or synthetic hormones and whose
structures differ from the hormones produced in a human
body.

Women can take bioidentical hormones in pill form, as drops
under the tongue, or they may use a topical cream. The
various approaches to the dosing and blood levels are all
clumped together as "natural," but thanks to one researcher
and author, the following question was rasied.

How can bioidentical hormones really be natural if they do
not mimic a rhythm that your body can recognize as natural
in you?

T.S. Wiley, who teaches accredited seminars on the natural
history of endocrinology, was seeking natural hormones with
natural replacement - real HRT. She believes that gels,
pills and drops do not pulse in our bodies, like endogenous
hormones pulse. A healthy young woman's endogenous hormones
go way up and way down low and trigger different genes;
genes that grow cells, stop cells from growing, and tell
cells to die.

So she looked closely at the various hormone states women
have in life; 1) young and cycling 2) pregnant, 3)
breastfeeding or 4) declining hormones. Doesn't it make
sense that number 1 -- young and cycling - seems to
replicate that state of hormonal health the best? Why?
Because the other two templates are too hard to recreate
physically and experimentally.

What this means is that women cycle up to a peak of
estrogen and then the body lets it fall and then brings it
down again for a second smaller peak. Progesterone peaks on
day 21. Healthy women have a period that lasts for five
days with a heavier flow on day two and three.

There is rhythm to the way hormones work, and there is a
beat like music. Pills, gels, drops and static dosing do
not honor the music. When women have enough hormones they
feel good, and some even feel better than they did during
their entire lives.

Tens of thousands of women have been experiencing great
results from this rhythmically dosed bioidentical hormone
replacement therapy, and have happily given their personal
accounts of the menopause experiences and testimonials on
the Wiley Protocol website.

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Kristin Gabriel is the marketing communications director
for T.S. Wiley, a medical writer and researcher in
chronobiology, environmental endocrinology and circadian
rhythmicity. Wiley is the author of "Sex, Lies &
Menopause," and the also the developer of The Wiley
Protocol (http://www.thewileyprotocol.com ) bioidentical
hormone replacement therapy (BHRT).