American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists New Posisition Statement on Bioidenticals

Hormone therapy can be prescribed in so many forms. There are pills, implants, creams, patches, gels, shots, vaginal rings just to name a few routes of administration. Further more hormone therapy can be of so many compounds: not just estrogen, but testosterone, progesterone, adrenal hormones all may be in the mix of what is prescribed. Most pharmaceutical companies produce hormone replacement therapy that is from synthesized chemical sources, but some also have produced hormone therapies from natural ingredients, such as the yam. Hormone therapy is very tightly regulated when it comes to standard prescriptions therapy that women are used to, but it is also possible to have your gyno write a dosage and formulation that is specifically mixed for you. Most all these mixed products are made from plants such as the yam or soy. This is what is known as bioidentical and also compounded therapy. Compound therapies may be necessary for a very few women, and these formulas have undergone a very small amount of research. Since studies with compounded therapies have been very small, and very short in duration , there is no long term safety data, and some women have been led to believe that the lack of data is proof of the increased safety of these medications. The Aug 2012 position paper on bioidenticals from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists reads much like the position papers that this and other gyno organizations have put out before. They conclude that the evidence to propound that these compounds are safer than traditionally prescribed FDA approved medications is lacking. They go on to say that the compounded products have more variability in the dosing and formulation so they may in fact be less safe. Estriol is a placental estrogen that is actually fairly weak. Estriol probably has a bit less effect on bone, it is uncertain it's effects on the breast, and it has about the same effects as estradiol on the uterus. Estriol cannot be found in any traditional pharmaceutical products, but has to be obtained in a compounded formulation. Formulas called Tri-est usually combine estriol, estradiol, and estrone into a prescription, and Bi-est is formulated from estriol and estradiol. The percentages of these two compounds in these formulas do not mimic "natural" levels in the woman, they are still pharmacological dosages. Natural hormone levels in a menopausal woman are quite low.
In the ACOG position paper they remind patients and their gynos to treat these medicines like any other hormone prescription in terms of monitoring and safety. They also conclude that testing of levels: urinary, salivary, or blood for management of the individualized dosing is not proven effective either. In conclusion, they support conventional therapy over compounded bioidentical therapy. For women who are not relieved by their hormone therapy, it is a good idea to gab with your gyno about alternatives, including these alternatives.