Bioidentical Hormones and Body Identical Hormones - Are they Better than Regular Hormone Therapy for Perimenopause and Menopause?

HRT - hormone replacement therapy - for perimenopause and menopause is a confusing topic. It is not for every person, and there is some good science out there to help you decide what is best for you.

There also is interesting marketing, like “bioidentical” hormones. Here is what I learned.

I’ve been talking about being in perimenopause for years because all women go through it, and it’s not a bad thing. There can be some challenging aspects to it, like there are challenges to every phase of life, and I feel like when we talk about it, it becomes a less mysterious thing. Same thing with menopause. When you stop getting your period. I’ve been in menopause for a year. I started hormone replacement therapy a couple months ago, which isn’t something every woman does or needs to do. I did for a variety of reasons that were right for me.

I use just a regular old generic estrogen patch and micronized progesterone.

The first thing I’m going to say is I am NOT professionally qualified to opine on this topic - the science and I’m forwarding in an article by someone who IS qualified to opine on it. As a certified yoga therapist I need to be clear this is OUTSIDE my scope of practice. There are a lot of people actually guiding about things like that who are not qualified. This is me writing as a woman sharing my experience and a resource. I am posting a link below to an article by Dr. Jen Gunter, a medical doctor who specializes in this topic and who explains the science in a way a layperson can understand. Check out her blogs. I also love Dr. Lauren Streicher’s podcast.

So vet your sources. There are so many holes in women’s healthcare, it’s easy to be subject to the misinformation when you’re on your own searching for information and solutions. This particular topic - HRT (hormone replacement therapy) - is full of seemingly different perspectives and opinions. The more I’ve researched, the more the science actually seems pretty clear.

The following is my experience with HRT.

The first time I went to look into hormones in perimenopause I went to a naturopath. (I know an esteemed cancer surgeon who sees one. I know other doctors who are against them. I have great Western medical doctors and don’t love paying out of pocket, but I was needing holistic perspective I wasn’t getting elsewhere.)

Then I had a funky mammogram. Clearly no hormones were prescribed. Fast-forward and my first breast cancer surgeon was shocked they were going to give me hormones before menopause. That was the first time I felt confused about HRT.

Mixed messaging makes us vulnerable.

I think this is exactly why women are confused. We hear different things from people who are supposed to KNOW. I am quite hands-on when it comes to my body, mind, and health, and I had researched so much! But I had not fully researched MENOPAUSE. I was researching perimenopause, the stage where I was. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t have looked into them until after menopause. Yet this female naturopath specialized in them and was openly prescribing them. So confusing! There’s a lot of information out there about taking them as young as 30… Some people probably do benefit for a variety of reasons. But if we’re trying to live naturally….

(Reminder: I am not a medical professional, and this is MY personal situation.)

Migraines and Anxiety and Epilepsy, Oh My!

I had bad migraines during perimenopause (8+x/month), anxiety, and a few years before I’d developed catamenial epilepsy (related to my menstrual cycle and changing hormones).

Post-menopause I did more research and got a referral to a fantastic female OB who listened, who did not immediately jump to prescribe hormones, and who had a protocol that felt right to me. She wasn’t making her money off of hormones and mid-life women. I’m now on a regimen that feels right to me. I feel better. But my sister and friends who can’t do HRT? I don’t feel they are at some huge disadvantage.

For anyone who is worried about not being able to take HRT: does it feel like the Fountain of Youth? No. Do I feel radically different? No.

One thing all my doctors agreed on (don’t know about that naturopath at this point) is not compounding and they also debunked bioidentical. Not that they are bad…just that they aren’t necessarily better. The linked article explains why. So if you can’t afford them, you’re not at a disadvantage.

The only problem I currently have with the patches is they are big dots with white backing with what I think they believe are discreet patterned logos on them. When I did fertility treatments I’m pretty sure the estrogen patch simply was translucent fabric. Now it’s like I’m branded. Does nobody think a menopausal women might still have a little sexiness in her and not want a giant patch slapped on her bootie??? If bioidentical means translucent then sign me up!!!

But it doesn’t.

Here is the link to Dr. Jen’s article.

I have to keep saying the word “menopause” out loud and claiming it. I’ve always looked younger, it’s been part of my identity. And my kids are younger, so I “pass” as younger. I love being a GenX woman. I love getting older. I love the wisdom. I don’t want to “pass” as younger. Maybe because of my profession and clientele I now am besieged with menopause messaging, it’s almost exhausting. I take care of myself and my body and live and love my life just as much as I always have. Why would that change based upon some shift in hormones? Someone else or culture put a definition of what this stage of life is about, that doesn’t have a bearing on what it is about.

What do you think? What have you been told? This definitely is a hot topic right now….