The median age for menopause in the US is 51, and early menopause is defined as being between 40-45 years of age (premature menopause is what occurs <40). Either can occur spontaneously, or due to surgical induction from the removal of ones uterus or ovaries. For these women, they are often left struggling with severe menopause symptoms, and little help or resources.

Studies (linked below) found that women who go through early or premature menopause suffer far more negative health outcomes, with the authors noting that they [women aged 45 or less] "experience an increased risk of overall mortality, cardiovascular diseases, neurological diseases, psychiatric diseases, osteoporosis, and arthritis. The risk of adverse outcomes increases with earlier age at the time of menopause." However, both these studies, and other similar ones have shown that hormone replacement therapy can help reduce these negative side effects AND reduce long term negative outcomes.

The difference here lies in how women are treated, with HRT or B-HRT. To understand this, you have to understand how pharmaceutical HRT (P-HRT) works. It is manufactured using the hormones in a pregnant mares’ urine as the base. These hormones are then adjusted to be similar to the estradiol and progesterone that our bodies make naturally. However, whilst the chemical hormones in P-HRT products are similar to our own, they are not identical to what is made naturally by our bodies. The consequence of putting something into the body that was similar but not identical resulted, for some women, in breast cancer and heart disease.

So does that mean you are out of options? No Jamaican holidays spent sipping Pina Coladas and getting frisky with your other half? Enter B-HRT (Bioidentical Hormone Replacement!).

As the name suggests, products made with B-HRT contain hormones that are the exact same structure (bioidentical) as the hormones that our bodies produce. B-HRT can be wonderful for all sorts of things; balancing progesterone and estrogen levels, boosting estrogen around and after menopause, and using estriol topically for vaginal health. They still have to be dosed correctly, but they offer significantly better outcomes compared to pharmaceutical HRT.

Early or premature menopause can be debilitating, but there are solutions - and as the science and research continues, more and more women can find relief and longevity!

View The Study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378512209002643