Q. I take hormone replacement in the form of bio-identical hormones from a compounding pharmacy. The prescription is a triple-estrogen compound with progesterone. The compounding pharmacist stated that because all three forms of estrogen are used, the risk that accompanies Premarin or Prempro does not exist. Conventional hormone replacement does not contain all three forms of estrogen.
Is this accurate? I have tried conventional hormone replacement in the past and was completely miserable, while I feel great using the bio-identical product.
A. Conventional hormone replacement therapies such as Premarin and Prempro contain a variety of estrogenic compounds. These are, however, estrogens that horses make, so they may be somewhat different from the estrogens your pharmacist used in compounding your prescription.
There are many claims that compounded hormone therapy is safer than conventional HRT. There are no studies to prove that statement, however. The FDA considers claims that bio-identical hormones are safer or better than conventional therapies to be false and misleading.
To better understand the pros and cons of hormones, we are sending you our Guide to Estrogen: Benefits, Risks and Interactions.
