MODERN MANAGEMENT OF MENOPAUSE WITH BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY

For decades your body made certain chemical structures to ensure the balance of your health. These were the hormones, which naturally decrease with age and the onset of menopause in a woman and andropause in a man. We now understand more than we ever have about the actions of these hormones. However, we would be naive to believe we know the whole story.

Are hormones safe? The honest answer is that no one really knows. We do know there are many benefits to anti-aging and maintainance of our body as we age. Should you take hormones? Only you can answer that question. Learn all you can and then make a decision. However, it makes sense to use the exact hormones your body made. Hence we encourage the use of hormones biologically identical to what your body made.

We encourage you to make an appointment to talk about Bio-Indentical Hormones: or you can begin by reading the chapters in Dr. Komadina's book.

Frequently Asked Questions About Bio-Identical Hormones

Q: What are natural or bio-identical hormones?

A: Natural hormones have the same chemical structures as the hormones secreted by the ovaries, adrenal glands, or testes. Therefore they are identical to what your body biologically produces.

Q: Where do natural hormones come from?

A: Some natural hormones come from the yam plant, soybean plant, or Barbasco plant (giant yam).

Q: Does a peri-menopausal woman take the same dose as a postmenopausal woman?

A: Not usually, most commonly you start in early peri-menopause with a low dose, and gradually increase to an average higher dose in menopause. With time you taper back down the dose to maintain good health while relieving the symptoms of low hormones.

Q: What hormones are most frequently used for hysterectomy and oopherectomy patients?

A: Estradiol, testosterone, pregnenolone, estriol, DHEA and sometimes progesterone.

Q: What is the best route of administration, eg. Sublingual, troche, gel, capsule, cream, pellet, tablet or patch?

A: Everyone is different. So what is best for one, may not be best for another. Sometimes you need to try 2 or 3 different delivery systems, until you find what works best for you. Troches and sublinguals give about 20% absorption, whereas gels and oil capsules give 10 - 12% absorption.

Q: When is the best time of day to take my hormones?

A: Ideally the best way is to take one half of the daily dose every 12 hours for troche, oral, sublingual and topical doses. However a testosterone troche or sublingual for libido is best to take 2 hours before bedtime. Estrogen for night sweats is best to take with your evening meal. DHEA is best taken after breakfast. Progesterone is best to take at bedtime.

Q: Will my symptoms be relieved more, the same or less with natural hormones compared to synthetic hormones?

A: Symptoms will usually be relieved equally or more, as long as the patient is balanced properly. Using blood hormone testing will accomplish this as well as monitoring symptoms. We prefer to treat patients…… not lab tests.

Q: Will natural hormones help Osteoporosis?

A: Yes, when dosed properly the natural hormones will help to prevent Osteoporosis as well as synthetic hormones, if not better.

Q: How can I increase my libido?

A: Blood testing for Testosterone, DHEA, Progesterone and Estradiol should be done. If these are low then natural HRT should be used with a testosterone supplement to raise the testosterone levels. This can be in a troche, sublingual, thick gel or topical cream dose form.

Q: Will my insurance pay for natural HRT?

A: This is very variable, but the hormones are compounded by a special pharmacy that may not contract with your insurance. However, they are often cheaper than multiple co-pays for multiple hormones all combined into one troche or capsule or cream. The pharmacy will aid you in exploring reimbursement from your carrier.