During various stages of life, your hormones may become unbalanced, making you feel irritable, tired, and out of sorts. For women, hormone imbalance is often spurred by menopause, while men experience hormonal changes during andropause (age-related low testosterone). When hormonal changes begin interfering with your life, it’s time to seek out a solution.
Unfortunately, information—and misinformation—about traditional hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) can be daunting and confusing. Not to worry! We’ll explore the benefits of BHRT vs. HRT in this blog post so you can stop feeling stuck or “out of whack” and take the first step to feeling like yourself again. We’re here to reassure you that it is possible to restore balance to your hormones and gain control of your quality of life.
How Do BHRT and HRT Work Differently?
For men and women, hormone imbalance can be difficult to pinpoint. While hormone replacement therapy has had many evolutions over the years, these are the two paths recommended by today’s experts for treating hormone imbalance:
- Hormone replacement therapy: Synthetic hormones that don’t possess the same structure as human hormones
- Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy: Plant-based hormones that are chemically identical to the hormones your body naturally produces
Bioidentical hormones have a 30-year history of easing fatigue, mood swings, brain fog, weight gain, sexual dysfunction, and other challenging symptoms men and women experience when going through perimenopause, menopause, and andropause. Researchers continue to examine the long-term efficacy of BHRT.
How Are Compounded Bioidentical Hormones Unique?
The hormones we prescribe are compounded medications. Compounding is the process of blending medications like bioidentical hormones and customizing them to address your specific symptoms and needs. To ensure your safety, we utilize one of the largest compounding pharmacies in the U.S. to manufacture our custom, compounded bioidentical hormones. They adhere to strict regulations, including third-party testing, and must uphold the highest standards of quality and accuracy. Your unique bloodwork helps us assess your hormone levels, determine the precise dosage, and fully customize your medically monitored BHRT plan with hormones identical to your specific molecular structure.
How Does BHRT Help Women?
As women age and hormone production naturally slows, side effects such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mood swings, weight gain, sleep difficulty, and memory loss are common. BHRT replaces and balances hormone levels with commonly prescribed “natural” hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone to target these concerns. At Longevità Medical, BHRT for women is typically administered in the form of pills and topical creams.
Women who choose BHRT often experience these key benefits:
- Better sleep (decrease in sleep interruption and night sweats)
- Enhanced sex drive (regaining your long-lost libido and experiencing more comfort during intimacy)
- Mood regulation (less irritability and anxiety)
- Increased focus (less brain fog)
- Improved energy levels (helps boost metabolism and mental wellness)
The Benefits of BHRT for Men
Like women, many men benefit from BHRT treatment, particularly when they’re dealing with common yet debilitating symptoms of low testosterone (low T), such as low energy, depression, decreased muscle mass, diminished libido, and erectile dysfunction. Low T therapy is usually administered via topical creams at our office, which keeps testosterone levels consistent and is readily absorbed by the skin and well tolerated.
Men who pursue BHRT commonly achieve the following:
- Improved energy and better physical and mental performance
- Muscle growth
- Increased sex drive and improvement in erectile dysfunction
- Better concentration and focus
- Facial/body hair regrowth
Men who undergo medically monitored BHRT to combat the symptoms of low T can achieve optimal results by combining their treatment with a healthy diet and lifestyle.
How Is BHRT Better Than HRT?
Over the past 30 years, clinical studies have shown that bioidentical hormones potentially result in fewer side effects than synthetic hormones (such as medroxyprogesterone and Premarin) while providing better relief of symptoms. In essence, when it comes to targeting and treating hormone imbalance, BHRT is the “real deal” because bioidentical hormones mirror your natural hormonal composition. Some studies show that synthetic hormones, in addition to being less compatible with your body, may increase the risk of other health conditions.
BHRT may also offer men and women additional health benefits, such as:
- Reduced risk for Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and colon cancer
- Improved sexual function and comfort during intercourse
- Better skin quality, hydration, and elasticity
- Lower cholesterol (lipid levels) for better overall health
- Increased bone mass/density
- Enhanced self-esteem and body image
Your BHRT Results: What To Expect
Your BHRT experience will vary based on your unique treatment plan and how your medication is administered (orally vs. topical cream). Remember, it takes time for your bloodstream to absorb and regulate the hormone therapy. Some patients notice improvement within a few weeks, but most patients require 6 to 8 weeks of consistent BHRT before they have significant improvement. Our dedicated hormone specialist, Julie Chatt, FNP-C, provides ongoing monitoring and dosage adjustments to help you achieve optimal results.
Begin Your BHRT Journey
You deserve to live your best quality of life—free from fatigue, mood swings, and other treatable symptoms of menopause and andropause. Reach out to our certified BHRT specialist for your initial assessment and to start your customized BHRT treatment plan. Request a consultation online or call us at (585) 244-1506.
Hi I am in UK can I book an app? Thanks
We would love to connect with you! One of our coordinators will be in touch shortly about setting up a virtual appointment. You can also reach our office directly at 585.244.1506. Thank you!
what are the potential downsides to BHRT vs standard HRT? there’s always a trade-off, and I can’t imagine there’s no positive on the other side.
Thanks for your question! The difference is that standard hormone replacement therapy uses synthetic hormones, while bioidentical hormones are molecularly and chemically the same structure as the natural hormones that we produce in the body. The human body does better because of this and there are fewer side effects. BHRT is typically well tolerated when tailored to the individual’s lab levels and their response.
Premarin which is a pure hormone, is not synthetic but it comes from pregnant mare urine. It has close to 10 other strains of estrogen that our bodies don’t recognize or need. This can contribute to more side effects. Progestin is a synthetic version of our progesterone which has many side effects. We do not prescribe either of these. The potential downsides include possible side effects that can occur with any hormone replacement therapy, but we have found that most patients respond well to bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.
If our bodies “lack” these hormones and BHRT replaces them, why can you not stay on them long term? What happens to the body when you stop them? What if the symptoms come back after stopping? And is this covered by insurance at all? Thanks.
Thank you for your questions! Our certified BHRT provider and nurse practitioner, Julie, would love to speak to you and provide more information. I have shared your comment with our team, and she will be in touch soon. Thank you!