Customized hormone therapy is the use of supplemental doses of hormones that have a chemical structure identical to the hormones that the human body produces naturally. Hormone therapy is most often used to address the physiological changes a woman encounters as she approaches and progresses through menopause. However, hormone treatment may also be used to help menstrual cramps, infertility, irregular periods, endometriosis, and fibrocystic breasts.
HORMONE IMBALANCE
A hormonal imbalance can affect more than your mood – it can be responsible for a number of related health concerns, including:
• Hot flashes
• Night sweats
• PMS
• Weight gain
• Post-partum depression
• Irregular menstrual cycle
These conditions affect millions of women. As the number of women seeking hormone-related treatment has grown, so has the mass production of pills, patches and creams by the drug industry. Each woman’s body is different and has its own unique needs, but commercially manufactured products tend to be “one size fits all,” and they do not always account for the differences between individuals.
THE COMPOUNDING ADVANTAGE
Pharmacy compounding is the preparation of customized medications for patients. The advantage of compounded hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is that it can be adapted specifically to fit each individual’s body and hormone levels. Bio-identical hormones have the exact chemical structure as the hormones in the human body. The body recognizes them and allows them to mimic the function of the hormones the body produces on its own.
NO TWO WOMEN ARE ALIKE, AND COMPOUNDING PHARMACISTS UNDERSTAND THIS.
A pharmacist experienced in HRT can assist a health care provider in interpreting the results of tests that measure a patient’s hormone levels. The health care provider, compounding pharmacist and patient can then determine a course of treatment that will give the patient the exact amount of hormones her body needs.
Working closely with the patient and her health care provider, a compounding pharmacist can help her start and maintain a hormonereplacement regimen that brings her hormones back into balance and closely mimics what her body has been doing naturally for years. With a health care provider’s prescription, the pharmacist can prepare hormones in a variety of strengths and dosage forms.
Thanks to compounding, there are customized hormone prescriptions to meet your specific needs. And that’s power of personalized medicine.
