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[Dibleydo]

 Hi, At the moment I'm having problems trying to track down the  HRT I use,still awaiting for the chemist to confirm the position from the manufacturers,but have been having a good read at all the other sections here and they are great what a wealth of information and education for us ladies that are not medically minded,its fantastic !I have read about the bio identical treatments,what are they ? is it something the NHS provides or is it a private thing, I'm thinking of asking for this on my return to the Dr's,but havent a clue what it is or how I go about it, thanks 

[lancashirelass]

Most hrt is bioidentical apart from Premarin so you may already be using it

[Dibleydo]

Thanks Lancashire lass,bow my head in shame,looks like I've got a lot to learn,back to the drawing board............

[Dancinggirl]

Dibleydo
lancashirelass is right that most HRT preparations have bio identical oestrogen in them but most have synthetic progesterone. There is one bio identical progesterone called Utrogestan which can be brilliant but this doesn't suit every women.  If the one you are using works for you then stick with it - too may women chop and change with no real benefit.  Dg x

[limpy]

Sorry to be dim but what does "Bio identical" actually mean?
I've heard it described as "Natural Hormone Therapy"
Given that HRT is manufactured that doesn't seem right somehow.
I can see that it's the same molecular structure as that which occurs naturally but not as identical.

[Dancinggirl]

There is much debate about the term 'bio identical' - in the USA I believe it is the term used for HRT preparations that are compounded by pharmacies but are not licensed, so these HRTs will vary greatly and may well carry more risks.  Here in the UK bio identical refers to hormones available on prescription that are the same (or mimic) the hormones we would produce naturally ourselves.
As I mentioned before, most HRT preparations do contain bio identical/natural oestrogen - these hormones have to be processed/manufactured to be safe for us to use.  Nature provides some of our most powerful and effective drugs but these natural sources (e.g. botanicals) do have to be processed to make them safe and effective when used.
Unfortunately the only bio identical/natural progesterone available in the UK is Utrogestan which dose suit many women but is not as powerful as the more synthetic progesterones so can bring problematic bleeding and other side effects.  Using HRT is a trial and error experience - you do need to 'kiss a few frogs' before you find your prince.  DG x

[limpy]

Thanks for the explanation Dancinggirl 

[Hurdity]

....however there are some practitioners even in UK who charge huge amounts of money on the very same therapies (using compounded hormones) that Dancinggirl is referring to from the US.

We have discussed this many times on here and if you do a search - especially some of Dana's posts and the associated threads - you will find some links to explanations and youtube clips eg by Elisabeth Vliet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XfpAATJkC8

Actually I'll just paste my bookmarks for you but I haven't checked through them recently!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2219716/
http://www.womenlivingnaturally.com/articlepage.php?id=177
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm049311.htm
http://www.maturitas.org/article/S0378-5122%2809%2900263-1/fulltext

Hope this helps

Hurdity x

[limpy]

Thank you for the links Hurdity.

I was a bit surprised that there wasn't a definition of Bio Identicals in the treatments menu at the top of the page, hence the question.

[Hurdity]

There is mention of it here Limpy:
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/otherpreps.php

Also a magazine article:
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/article-bioidentical-hormones.php

Hurdity  x

[limpy]

Thank you again Hurdity.
I had assumed the information about HRT would be in the HRT sections within the Treatments menu.  It never occurred to me to look in the Alternative Therapies section for information about any sort of HRT.

[Hurdity]

This will be because all the info on HRT is about licensed treatments on NHS and available for the medical profession ie GPs also to look at. This is the GoTo site for all basic info on menopause but with the emphasis on evidence based treatments and NHS. Even treatments used by gynaes like Cyclogest progesterone, Crinone gel are not listed. Because it (Compounded Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy) is not recommended by the NHS medical profession nor all the professional menopause societies including US/European ones - it would be wrong to put it with all the rest - and also as I said because of this it's not available on NHS. Well that's how I see it anyway 

There is an explanation about oestrogen at the beginning of the section on HRT http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/oestrogens.php - but I see the term "bio-identical" is not used - probably for good reason because of the association of the term with the expensive and unnecessary therapy above.

The estrogens used in HRT are referred to as "natural" because they resemble substances produced in the body and include oestradiol, oestrone and oestriol which are usually made from soya beans or yam extracts.

However the section on Progestogens doesn't mention Utrogestan. http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/progestogens.php

Hurdity x