Bioidentical Hormone Therapy Explained

Cleveland Clinic describes bioidentical hormone therapy as the use of processed hormones that come from plants. It names estrogen, progesterone and testosterone as the most commonly used bioidentical hormones. That definition is short, and the confusion starts right after it.

Bioidentical and compounded are not one word

According to Cleveland Clinic, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved certain types of bioidentical hormones. Cleveland Clinic adds that other forms are custom-made by a pharmacist from a healthcare provider's prescription.

The Endocrine Society notes that the term bioidentical has also been used to describe compounded formulations containing estrogens, progesterone, and androgens. So one word can point at an approved product or at a pharmacy mixture. Reading the label is not enough to tell which one you are being offered.

For the agency's own question-and-answer format, see Compounding and the FDA: Questions and Answers. A general-reader overview sits in the MedlinePlus page on hormone therapy for menopause.

Pages by the question they answer

Each page below answers one question, so you can skip the ones that do not match your decision.

• What do I gain, and what do I risk? Bioidentical Hormone Side Effects and Benefits puts the benefit line next to the risk line.
• What do professional bodies say about compounded versions? ACOG Advice on Compounded Hormone Therapy, What National Academies Found on Compounded Hormones and Menopause Society Guidance on Hormone Therapy each report one organization's position.

Where to start for your situation

If you are weighing whether hormone therapy is worth the downsides, start with the side effects page. If a clinic has offered you a custom or compounded preparation, start with the guidance summaries and read the organization named in each sentence.

The Cleveland Clinic page on bioidentical hormones and the WebMD explainer on bioidentical hormone replacement therapy are two outside pages worth holding up against anything you are handed.