Dr. Edward Jacobson, a board-certified gynecologist and long-standing medical practitioner, will help you via virtual telemedicine consultation from the Hormone Replacement Therapy Center and answer the frequently asked question: “What is the difference between HRT and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy?” To learn more, schedule an appointment today.
Essentially, both women and men have the same kind of hormones circulating in their systems from birth to a maturational age. Sex steroids, or sex hormones, in women and men, are all made from cholesterol and follow biochemical pathways until, with different enzymes reacting, end products estrogen and testosterone are made.
These sex hormones, as chemical messengers, are active in distinct physiologic processes from bone metabolism to glucose and insulin regulation and thermoregulation.
In women, estrogen and progesterone impact more than their reproductive cycles; they affect mood. During menopause, hormonal imbalances and shifts in sex steroids are more prevalent—enough so to cause recognizable, menopausal symptoms that women need help to control. As sex steroids fluctuate during menopause, “hot flashes” most commonly occur, mood changes happen to the point of depression, libido is less, vaginal dryness is more, hair is lost, and women may have “night sweats” or trouble sleeping.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is mainly used for a woman’s transition into menopause, given the need to mitigate menopausal symptoms. Yet men suffer menopause too, or “andropause,” and benefit from testosterone replacement therapy.
To make better, informed health choices, women and men want to know how and why HRT’s effects differ from BHRT. It is interesting to note that, in the body, testosterone can convert to estrogen, and vice versa, so a doctor’s analysis to meet patient needs is key.
Both HRT and BHRT target receptor sites on organs where there is binding and then mimicry of a woman’s sex hormones. HRT may resemble a woman’s natural estrogen and progesterone, yet it is not chemically the same.
Combined HRT with both estrogen and progesterone is administered by the gynecologist when a woman has retained her uterus. Similarly, Dr. Jacobson advises women who have had a hysterectomy to take progesterone as it protects against breast cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis and aids with sleep.
BHRT from plants is identical in chemical structure to a woman’s natural estrogen and progesterone. It can emulate, more precisely, hormonal regulation. Doses of BHRT may be compounded by the pharmacologist and customized to an individual patient.
Dr. Jacobson can balance your hormones both to alleviate your menopausal symptoms and increase your sex drive. He will advise on the hormone delivery methods suitable and personalized for you.
Dr. Jacobson will assess your current health and medical history to assist you in making an informed decision about HRT and BHRT. Call today to schedule an appointment.