Many individuals experiencing symptoms of hormonal imbalance turn to hormone treatment in order to restore their hormones back to normal levels. Too often, these men and women turn to synthetic hormones as treatment in an attempt to counteract their symptoms of having too much or too little sex hormones produced by the endocrine system. Though these synthetic compounds may be effective in alleviating symptoms associated with abnormal hormone levels, research has connected these synthetic compounds with elevated risks for breast cancer, endometriosis and heart disease. In addition, these man-made compounds can exhibit several unwanted side effects.
Synthetic hormones are foreign chemicals similar in chemical structure, but not exactly the same as natural hormones. Once in the body, they interfere with hormone receptor sites on cells throughout the body. When these compounds interfere with receptor sites on cells in the brain, this can affect the brain’s ability to function and over time could potentially lead to dementia. Other side effects associated with synthetic hormones include: depression, blood clots, abnormal vaginal bleeding, lumps in the breasts, bloating, water retention, nausea and headaches.
A safer alternative to artificial hormones would be to use prescribed bio-identical hormones from your clinician (not from the Internet). Bio-identical hormones are exact copies of natural hormones produced by the endocrine glands so they are less likely to interfere with cell receptor sites, and therefor less likely to have unwanted side effects.