What are bio-identical hormones?

Hormones are molecules derived from cholesterol which the body synthesizes and are generally secreted by endocrine glands (such as pancreas, ovaries, pituitary glands) or specialized cells of the body.

Hormones are the chemical communicators for the body and have specific regulatory effects on activities of organs throughout the body.

Bio-identical hormones are "human-identical", i.e., they fit into their designated receptor sites (like a key fitting into a lock) as specifically designed by nature.

This is contrary to non-bio-identical hormones, which do not have an exact fit when bound to a receptor site, which accounts for their varying effects on different target organs and much more frequent side effects.

Sex, Lies, and Menopause: The Shocking Truth About Synthetic Hormones and the Benefits of Natural Alternatives

Comments

[LadyPharmD]

Bio-identical are NOT Human identical. That is a mish-mash of words by non-pharmacologists who are into pseudo science of herbalism and such.

Bio-identical means drugs that are 90% identical to regarded hormones by the FDA. Bio-identical sometimes do NOT work as well as
synthetic hormones. Case in point: you can eat a spoonful of "natural" Bio-identical, but it will have little to no effect. Why ? because of the effect of first pass metobolism of the the liver. Parts get hydrolized and other parts get conjugated. That is the reasoning to synthetic hormones. We fool the body into metabolising the synthetic hormone into a Bio-identical that the body can use.

That being said. Hormones are not the answer. Science is missing a component.. or maybe not. Aging is a natural process of mother nature's natural selection. We live, we reproduce, we pass. It is the order of biological creatures. This will continue for 10's of thousands of years after we all become dust. Nothing is more full filling as reproducing, it is in essence part of one's immortality in this plane of existence.