Hormone-related conditions affect millions of people daily, and when those fluctuations begin to change your health and quality of life, hormone replacement therapy is an available solution. Natural hormone therapy uses the hormone produced from plants to treat conditions, and natural replacement therapy can treat most mild to moderate hormone conditions. However, when those treatments don’t provide enough relief, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can provide more accurate hormone deficiencies.
What is Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy?
Bioidentical hormones contain an identical chemical structure as natural hormones and include the exact molecular structure needed for better hormone production. The molecular structure of hormones function with specific receptors and chemicals, and in many cases, those with hormone conditions experience issues with how hormones communicate with the body. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy uses plant-derived estrogens chemically identical to the human body and replaces them through treatment options such as pills, creams, gels, injections, and patches.
What is Compounded BHRT Treatment?
Drug companies make many BHRT treatments, and many of these treatments only occur in specific forms. For patients with hormone conditions, sometimes the types available to them are not applicable due to their medical history, making it difficult to receive treatment. For instance, patients who have swallowing issues may have problems taking a BHRT treatment that’s only available in oral form. In these cases, compounding can help customize the treatment and provide an altered medication that suits the patient’s needs.
Compounding is combining, mixing, and altering medication to help treat the patient’s condition. Compounded bioidentical hormones work to change the doses and dosage form to the individual’s preference, and change it to structures such as:
- Topical creams
- Sublingual Drops
- Capsules
- Gels
- Suppositories
How are Compounded BHRT Treatments Produced and Regulated?
Compounded medications are typically produced by either a compounding pharmacy or a medical professional with accreditation in the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board (PCAB). These medications are altered under specific guidelines under the FDA’s regulations under Section 503A and the Compounding Quality Act. These compounds are also overseen federally by the Drug Enforcement Administration for oversight of narcotics, amphetamines, and other drugs. Other non-profit organizations, such as the United States Pharmacopeial Convention, also issue standards regarding compounded medications’ safety and quality.
For bioidentical compound treatments, there are risks associated with the treatment; custom-compounded formulations when unregulated and unsupervised can contain too little or too much of the necessary hormones needed. In many cases, they are not tested for quality and effectiveness. Other ingredients can be added and removed to provide a vehicle for the treatment, affecting how that hormone is absorbed. However, in many cases where the patient has a specific allergy to an ingredient or cannot take the original dosage form, BHRT treatments, when followed under legal guidelines, can be compounded to help improve the patient’s stability and health.
If you have any questions regarding our BHRT treatment, how we compound our treatments, and other available services we offer, then contact us. Our office will answer any concerns you may have regarding compounding and BHRT treatment.
