What is Natural Hormone Replacement or Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement?
Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy (NHRT) is an attempt to ‘replace’ some of the normal hormones in your body that have declined as a result of peri-menopause or surgical menopause. One of the differences between the natural vs. synthetic hormones is that the natural hormones are “bio-identical”, meaning they are exactly the same as what your body makes. In fact, if you looked under a microscope at the chemical structure you could not tell the difference between the bio-identical hormones and the body’s hormones. Where do the Bio-Identical Hormones come from? Bio-Identical Hormones are just that, they are natural and bio-identical to a person’s body. They are made from plant sources. The source of the estrogen is soy, and progesterone can be obtained from either soy or yams. Which hormones are in need of replacement? That all depends on the individual, most commonly women experiencing a decline in hormone levels may require some type of estrogen as well as progesterone. Some patients
