Menopause, and now what?

20 Feb Menopause, and now what?

At the end of every woman’s reproductive age, when hormones are no longer secreted and the body is left unprotected, every woman faces a critical question, and now what?

Hormones are chemical molecules secreted by specific glands in the human body and are responsible for almost all of our body’s functions, organs and systems. Hormones are responsible for the growth rate of our cells. Through the bloodstream, they are transported and then bind to the corresponding receptors in the cells. By this way, vital functions are performed.

The rate of hormone synthesis and secretion needs to be regulated, so that the human organism benefits from their action. This regulatory mechanism is most often based on a homeostatic negative feedback pattern.

During menopause, the female body reduces dramatically the production of genital hormones. This natural phenomenon renders the female body prone to diseases hitherto protected against.

Natural choice

For decades, in parallel with the increase of  life expectancy and knowing very well the pile of problems that women present after menopause and not only, synthetic hormone substitutes have been administered worldwide with devastating effects.

After decades of clinical practice, it has been found that these synthetic hormones may protect the female body from the development of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and other issues, but they induce carcinogenesis in various organs of the body.

One of the three options that the modern woman has is to take synthetic hormones only for a short time, hoping this way to reduce the always existing risk of carcinogenesis. This practice, will not protect women for the rest of their lives, and furthermore it does not come with no side effects.

The second choice that women have and is adopted by a large part of the medical community is not to administer any post-menopausal hormone replacement balance protocols. They regard menopause as a physical condition and thus no protection is required. By this they ignore that women now live another thirty to forty years on average after menopause.

Finally, there is a third option, the administration of molecules identical to human hormones, which are characterized as natural, function in a similar way to human hormones and are bound by the same cellular receptors.

Biomimetic hormones are mainly of plant origin, have the same chemical structure as those produced by our body and function in our body without side effects. Their administration protects the various systems from a possible risks, and keeps the female body functioning properly for the rest of its life.

What are the differences between Synthetic and Biomimetic Hormones?

There are structural differences between the two categories. In order of importance they are the following:

1. Their chemical composition.
   In synthetic hormones, the chemical composition differs in at least one component from that in humans. In Biomimetics, the chemical composition is the same. On commercial holding.
2. Synthetic hormones are produced by pharmaceutical companies and, in order to be used as medicaments, are differentiated in composition for patent purposes (patent of the preparation for commercial use).
   In any other case, they cannot have property rights, and commercial benefits. Biomimetics, due to their similar composition to human ones, are not produced by pharmaceutical companies, because they cannot be exploited commercially. They can be found at compounding pharmacies, specialized in producing them.
3. Synthetic hormones are used as a tool by a very large portion of the medical world since they can be easily found by the patients. Biomimetics however, are prescribed only by doctors who have been trained exclusively in them and in their use.
4. Synthetic hormones originate from plant and animal sources and usually contain chemical additives. Biomimetics have mainly plant sources as their origin.
5. Synthetic hormones have side effects with the most significant one being carcinogenic, therefore, they are not administered for more than three years. Biomimetics have absolutely no side effects, if their use is monitored by a trained expert.
6. Synthetic hormones have a higher cost of production and distribution compared to Biomimetics.

Due to the extensive use of synthetic hormones for decades and their effects, in many cases, a completely wrong view was formed regarding the role of Hormones and their catalytic mode of operation.

This partly justifies the non-administration of any hormones after menopause. The huge problems created by the use of synthetic hormones, made a large portion of the medical world apprehensive towards the general use of hormones.

With all the cards laid on the table, the pros and cons of each option, women today can choose to live with or without their hormones.

Dr. Kyriakos P. Tigkas, M.D.
Gynecologist – Surgeon Oncologist – Obstetrician
Specialization in Biomimetic Hormone Replacement Therapy Α4Μ American Academy of Antiaging & Preventive Medicine

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