Life Extension(R), the company that long ago sounded the alarm on the dangers of synthetic hormone replacement therapy for menopausal women, has published still more proof that bioidentical hormones offer a far safer treatment option.
A white paper entitled Bioidentical Hormones: Why Is There Still a Controversy, published in the October edition of Life Extension Magazine, provides compelling scientific evidence on the safety and effectiveness of bioidentical hormone therapy. This position paper strongly documents the advantages of topical bioidentical hormone creams in contrast to the known safety risks associated with orally-administered conjugated equine (horse-derived) estrogens and progestin.
Individualized topical bioidentical hormone creams are available only through select compounding pharmacies, as the FDA has caved into the powerful influence of the pharmaceutical lobby and limited the sale of estriol, which has grossly increased its price and decreased its availability.
The pharmaceutical industry has billions of dollars invested in pushing antiquated equine estrogens and non-bioidentical progestin formulations that have been repeatedly linked to toxic side effects. They have lobbied the FDA to restrict the sale of compounding estriol creams by labeling compounding pharmacies unsafe and unregulated.
The FDA approved the use of Premarin(R) (mare urine-derived estrogen) 67 years ago, but today the same drug is still being prescribed as the answer to estrogen depletion for a generation of women who are desperate for better alternatives. The science is in. The answers are clear. The time for this controversy is over.