The ZRT Laboratory Blog

I recently had a conversation with a patient who was entering menopause and fearful of starting hormone replacement therapy (HRT) because she witnessed the decline in her mother’s health after she stopped HRT at age 65. She assumed that the decline in her mother’s health was due to the use of HRT rather than the discontinuation of it. There has been much confusion and contradiction around the use of hormone therapy for menopause since 2002 when the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) released the results of their prematurely halted hormone therapy clinical trial revealing an increase in disease parameters for women on HRT.…

Tags: Hormone Replacement Therapy, Menopause, BHRT, Bioidentical Hormones

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Delivery of the bioidentical hormones estradiol (E2), progesterone (Pg), and testosterone (T) through the skin as a cream or gel (topically) has become a mainstay of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) for women and men. A plethora of FDA-approved pharmaceuticals, compounded, and even over-the-counter topical BHRT products are available. The popularity of these products lies not only…

Tags: Bioidentical Hormones, Estrogen, Progesterone, Testosterone, Dried Urine Testing, Blood Spot Testing, Serum Testing, Saliva Testing

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Practice Takeaway: I always try to taper the estrogen dose down over a period of 2-6 months depending on the individual’s difficulty with withdrawal symptoms. Once I have the patient on a lower dose (Premarin 0.3 mg or Estrace 0.25 mg every other day at the most), I will switch over to a bi-est consisting of 50% estradiol and 50% estriol. The reason for this is, if you stop the estrogen abruptly or…

Tags: Dosing, BHRT, Bioidentical Hormones

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Interpretation of hormone testing using saliva, dried blood spot, or serum can be tricky when women are using oral, patch, or other hormonal contraception methods. The types of hormones in these contraceptives are synthetic, and although they may be close to the molecular structure of our body's own estradiol or progesterone, they are not bioidentical. While bioidentical hormones used as…

Tags: Fertility, Hormone Balance, Contraceptives, Bioidentical Hormones

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When a patient says that she wants “natural” hormone therapy, does the term mean the same thing to you as it does to her? Let’s explore that question further by dissecting the terminology most commonly used by patients (and even some experts) when discussing hormone restoration therapy: “natural,” “synthetic” and “bio-identical.”NaturalThe term “natural” cannot be used to describe hormones or…

Tags: Hormone Balance, Menopause, BHRT, Patient Education, Dosing, Bioidentical Hormones

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Celebrities and TV stars like Caitlyn Jenner, Laverne Cox, Jazz Jennings and Chaz Bono have helped take what was once a taboo subject and turned it into part of America’s mainstream conversation. This long-overdue discussion helps foster broader understanding and acceptance, and it also shines a light on a largely underserved area of medical need. Rising Beyond a Difficult Legacy Transgender…

Tags: Hormone Balance, BHRT, Bioidentical Hormones

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When sex hormones are tested in women either in saliva or blood spot, ZRT test reports give a ratio of progesterone (Pg) to estradiol (E2). The ratio is helpful in clinical practice when both E2 and Pg are within range, yet the patient continues to have symptoms. It is not expected to be normal or used clinically when either E2 and/or Pg are outside of their expected ranges or if the patient does…

Tags: Hormone Balance, Progesterone, Estrogen, Estrogen Dominance, Bioidentical Hormones

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As scientific researchers, practitioners and patients bear witness to the increasing evidence of hormone dysfunction in today’s society, Dr. Cobi Slater’s Ultimate Hormone Balancing Guidebook couldn’t come at a better time. Her premise throughout this illuminating book is that the real cause behind the plethora of symptoms plaguing modern adults of all ages can be linked to imbalances within the…

Tags: Weight Management, Patient Education, Hormone Balance, BHRT, Xenoestrogens, Bioidentical Hormones

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Over 25 million women a year worldwide will enter menopause and make a decision about hormone replacement therapy. For healthcare practitioners, what dosage and what formulation these hormones take is open to debate. After many years of teaching and talking to practitioners, I’ve learned that: there are many strategies for approaching dosages, everyone thinks that theirs is the best, most of them…

Tags: Hormone Balance, BHRT, Dosing, Bioidentical Hormones

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During National Breast Cancer Awareness month, we should all take a pause to consider our health. As it turns out, losing weight and balancing hormones may be two of the most important actions we can take to reduce breast cancer risks in our lifetime. And the science is on our side here. There are numerous studies in the medical literature linking hormones and lifestyle to cancers. A recent study…

Tags: Breast Cancer, Hormone Balance, Estrogen Dominance, Patient Education, Bioidentical Hormones

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