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Since the release in 2002 of the Women’s Health Initiative report, bio identical hormone replacement therapy used to relieve symptoms of menopause has generated worrisome, and sometimes conflicting, headlines. While linked to a reduced risk of colon cancer and fractures, the therapy has also been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, stroke, blood clots and heart attack. And so far, there are no indications that HRT has any effect on the development of dementia.

The not-inconsiderable list of potential risks of hormone-replacement therapy has left an opening for manufacturers of “natural products” to step up with supposedly better and safer versions of hormone therapy.
There’s a lot of public interest in bioidentical (or so-called “natural”) hormone therapy for menopause symptoms. However, there’s no evidence that bioidentical hormones are safer or more effective than standard hormone replacement therapy.

Much remains unknown about these treatments for menopausal symptoms. They’re marketed as “bio-identical” hormones or “bio-identical hormone replacement therapy,” and they claim to do everything from helping menopausal women lose weight to preventing senility.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that these claims are unproven and that the products are potentially dangerous. Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is a marketing term not recognized by the FDA.