Natural Hormone Therapy

What Are Natural Hormones?

What Hormones Should I Take?

What Are The Side Effects?

Any woman entering peri-menopause, menopause or who is post-menopausal should consider natural hormone therapy to relieve the symptoms associated with menopause. The many benefits of natural hormone therapy include:
• prevention of osteoporosis
• restoration of bone strength
• reduce hot flashes
• improve vaginal dryness
• improve muscle strength
• protect against heart disease and stroke
• improve cholesterol levels
• decrease risk of depression
• improve sleep and mood
• improve memory and concentration
• decrease urinary tract infection risk
• improve sex drive

Natural hormone therapy is not the same as taking the commercially available prescription hormone medications. Natural hormones are specifically designed to match your bodies own hormones exactly, and as such they are not associated with the many side effects frequently seen with traditional hormone replacement therapy.

"WHAT ARE NATURAL HORMONES?"

Unfortunately the term natural is widely overused and can be quite confusing. When referring to hormones, natural means that the chemical structure is identical to the hormone that your body made prior to menopause. A more technical description is that these hormones are human "bio-identical." However, just because a hormone is natural does not mean that you can go out and purchase it from a local health food store. These natural hormones are regulated by the State Board of Pharmacy and do require a prescription. At Rx Options we use pharmaceutical-grade hormones made from plant sources to custom compound your hormone replacement medications.

Most medications used to treat menopausal symptoms currently contain synthetic hormones. While a synthetic hormone has a structure similar to your own hormones, it is not "bio-identical." In fact in many cases, the synthetic hormone will act differently in your body often causing troublesome side effects. Some women will find these side effects intolerable and thus choose to discontinue their synthetic hormone therapy. Lastly, natural and synthetic hormones should not be considered interchangeable.

"WHAT HORMONES SHOULD I TAKE?"

Prior to menopause your body makes estrogens, progesterone and testosterone, most regimens include one or more of these. There is not one specific combination that works for everyone. Each woman is different and will have special needs. The best place to start is with your physician or with one of our Doctors of Pharmacy to find a natural hormone regimen that is best for you.

ESTROGEN

Most women know that their body makes estrogen, but did you know that "estrogen" is actually a family of hormones. Women make many different types of estrogen. Natural hormone therapy can include any one or all of the estrogens. The three major estrogens that all women produce are:

ESTRIOL is the least potent estrogen that is produced by the body. Supplemental Estriol is available only from specialty pharmacies like Rx Options.

ESTRADIOL is the most potent estrogen that is produced by the body. It is about 80 times more potent than Estriol and is the most stimulating to breast tissue. Brand name products containing estradiol include Estrace ™, Vivelle™ and Climara™.

ESTRONE is the second most potent estrogen that is produced by the body. Premarin™ and Ogen™ are the brand name products that contain estrone.

A combination of one or more of these estrogens is often used in natural hormone therapy. Combinations frequently referred to as a Biest (estriol & estradiol) or Triest (estriol & estradiol & estrone) are usually recommended as the cornerstone of natural hormone therapy.

NATURAL PROGESTERONE

Progesterone is a naturally occurring female hormone that is produced by the ovaries. The progesterone used in natural hormone therapy is actually derived from soybeans or wild yams. It is identical to your own body's progesterone and therefore works the same way. Women often think they do not need progesterone if they have had their uterus removed. This is not true. Your body still needs progesterone for it's many important functions:
• Balancing the effects of estrogen
• Maintain the lining of the uterus
• Protect against fibrocystic breasts
• Stabilize cell fluid levels
• Promote bone formation
• Improve the body's fat burning ability
• Antidepressant activities
• Aid thyroid function
• Maintain sex drive
• Normalize blood clotting
• Normalize zinc and copper levels
• Serves as a precursor to other hormones

TESTOSTERONE

Testosterone is a hormone most women think is only found in men. Actually, testosterone is officially classified as an androgen, a hormone produced in both men and women. The normal ovary makes testosterone in small amounts, even after menopause. If the ovaries are removed or stop producing testosterone, a deficiency will result in loss of sex drive, decreased energy levels, decreased bone and muscle strength, breast tenderness and hot flashes. A balance of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone is required to prevent unwanted body changes, such as weight gain, after menopause.

WHAT ARE THE SIDE EFFECTS?

Women who take natural progesterone and/or natural estrogens, in appropriate doses, report very few side effects. These side effects are usually dosage dependent. If you get too much medication, you may experience side effects, that is why it is so important to customize your dose. Compounding allows us to design a formulation unique to each woman. Thereby, reducing or eliminating most side effects. A small number of women may develop reactions such as headaches or breast sensitivity, but in most cases these symptoms go away after a couple weeks of treatment. Drowsiness can also occur, but this too goes away without the need for dosage adjustment.

Menstrual bleeding does not usually occur if the natural progesterone and natural estrogens are taken continuously. If breakthrough bleeding does occur, it usually stops two to three months after the medication begins.

Too much testosterone can cause oily skin, acne, facial hair growth, excess body hair growth and anxiety. These side effects are avoided by starting with small doses of testosterone and increasing the dose if needed.

DELIVERY SYSTEMS

Natural hormones can be made into many different delivery systems: creams, capsules, or suppositories. What you choose is based on your preference. Creams are applied to those areas of your body where the skin is thin and the hormone can be absorbed easily through the skin.

Progesterone cream can be applied to any soft skin surface such as the inner wrist, inner arm, neck, stomach, and inner thigh. Estrogen creams should only be applied to the inner forearms or the inner thighs. It is important to rotate the site where the medication is applied with each application. Creams may be dosed once or twice daily depending upon each woman's needs.

Creams have the benefit of bypassing your liver's "first-pass" removal process, by being absorbed directly into your blood stream. If you have stomach or liver problems for example, you may be a better candidate to use creams. Another advantage is that the amount of medication you use can also be easily adjusted when creams are selected. More specifically the amount can be changed to treat symptoms while each woman's optimal dosage is being determined.

If you prefer oral medications a slow-release capsule is also available. This allows a slow steady release of the hormone into your body. Because the medication in the capsule will undergo metabolism by the liver, higher doses are required to achieve the same effect as that achieved with creams. Capsules may be taken once or twice daily, either way it is important to take the capsules at approximately the same time each day.

Testosterone is often prescribed to improve sex drive. We have found the most successful method is to apply the testosterone cream to smooth skinned areas for three weeks straight. After the initial three weeks, it can be applied two or three times per week to maintain the desired effect.

SUPPLEMENTS

Regardless of whether or not you take hormones all women should take certain nutritional supplements.

Multivitamin with minerals. A good vitamin and mineral supplement is essential. Deficiencies are common among Americans because of our highly refined dietary intake. Zinc, selenium, Vitamin D, beta carotene and others are necessary for proper hormone utilization and balance.

Essential Fatty Acids are necessary to maintain healthy joints, skin and hair, and to lower cholesterol. They are also required for proper hormone balance. You get essential fatty acids from cold water fish, flax seeds or flax seed and borage oil. To receive an adequate amount, you would need to eat four servings of fish a week or take a supplement containing essential fatty acids.

Vitamin E is an antioxidant and protects against blood clotting. Studies indicate that it has many protective benefits for the heart and the brain. Vitamin E also helps soften breast tissue and is beneficial for women with fibrocystic breasts. The recommended dose is 400 to 800 IU per day of a specific type of Vitamin E called d-alpha tocopherol with mixed tocopherols.

B Vitamins are important cofactors in many of the enzymatic processes in our body that produce energy. B vitamins are water soluble so they are not stored in the body. Women who take estrogen supplements absorb less vitamin B6 and will need to supplement this in their diet. A good quality B-complex supplement containing between 25 to 50 mg of Vitamin B6 is recommended to be taken once a day.

Calcium is necessary to build strong bones and prevent osteoporosis, but taking calcium alone is not enough. Magnesium, boron and vitamin D are also required to build strong bones. The recommended dose is 1200 to 1500 mg of elemental calcium daily. This should be taken in three separate doses as your body only absorbs 500 to 600mg at a time. If you take a calcium carbonate supplement, it is important to take it with food as acid is required for optimal absorption. For each 500 mg of calcium you should also take 250mg of magnesium. The magnesium is necessary for bone formation and also helps eliminate the constipating effect of the calcium.

CONCLUSION

Natural hormone therapy requires active participation on your part. You need to tell your doctor and your pharmacist how you feel. It may take some time to fine-tune your natural hormone therapy because each woman has different needs. Some women will notice immediate improvements; others may not for several months. Don't give up after one month. You need to be willing to work with your health care professional over three or four months to develop a customized hormone program specific for your needs.