Over the past years, menopausal women in America have been prescribed either Premarin or Prempro hormone replacement therapy without much question. Both Premarin and Prempro are a mixture of estrogens derived from the urine of pregnant horses, Prempro contains synthetic progesterone or progestin.  Both Premarin and Prempro have served to replace the human sex hormones that naturally taper off in perimenopausal and menopausal women – primarily estrogen and progesterone.

For a long time it was thought that taking synthetic hormones did not only improve women’s menopausal symptoms, but also protected women against heart disease, osteoporosis, helped to maintain youthful skin

and support healthy brain function.  When the Women’s Health Initiative study was first made public in 2002, everyone was shocked to learn that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was not as protective, or as safe, as they thought. The study results suggested that this type of HRT did not protect a woman from getting heart disease, and actually increased her risk of breast cancer, blood clotting and stroke.

Unfortunately, the media and many practitioners often do not distinguish between different Hormone Replacement Therapies. What I mean is that women are so often advised in medical alerts that the risks apply regardless of the type of hormones.  In reality, the study showed associated risks with conjugated equine (horse) estrogens and synthetic progestins, NOT BIOIDENTICAL HORMONES.
Women continue to be utterly confused and even scared about hormone replacement because the media and doctors failed to distinguish between HRT and Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (bHRT) . For many years women have been provided with alternatives to conventional HRT, including bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (bHRT, or bio-HRT). The exact risks for women with natural hormones are unknown, as there haven’t been many large, definitive studies done on natural bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. But from the results of studies that have looked at bioidentical HRT thus far, bHRT does not appear to have the same side effect profile as conventional HRT — particularly transdermal forms.

Bioidentical hormones share the exact same molecular structure with those in our bodies. Unlike conventional or synthetic forms of HRT, they cannot be patented and sold by pharmaceutical companies.  But that’s the main reason why there have been very few large, well-designed studies to evaluate the risks and benefits of bioidentical HRT.  Bioidentical HRT must be prescribed by a physician and may only be custom created for a patient by a compounding pharmacy like Fusion Rx.  Bioidentical HRT not only can provide relief of perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms but are in fact beneficial for bone health, mental health, and cardiovascular health.
Fusion Rx Compounding Pharmacy specializes in compounding bioidentical hormones.  Serious efforts have been made to shut down compounded bioidentical HRT as an option for women.  We think that’s too bad.  Women deserve to know all of their options and alternatives regarding HRT, to be fully informed of everything we’ve learned to date, and to have ready access to those options when they need them.