QUESTION:
How is bioidentical hormone replacement therapy different from synthetic HRT?
ANSWER:
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is the term generally used when referring
to synthetic hormones, such as Premarin and Prempro. These drugs have been
used for decades to “replace” the hormones that fluctuate and begin to decrease
when women enter perimenopause and menopause. Synthetic forms of progesterone and
estrogen are not natural replacements for our bodies’ own hormones, however. Premarin
is estrogen derived from the urine of pregnant mares, conjugated with synthetic
forms; Prempro is Premarin in combination with a synthetic form of the human hormone
progesterone.
The term bioidentical HRT, on the other hand, refers to hormone replacement
molecules that are biochemically identical to those we make in our bodies.
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