The Truth About Bioidentical Hormones
What most people get wrong and what you need to know
If you’re interested in learning more about how I use bioidentical hormones in my practice, I have a hormone balancing masterclass coming up for my LifeWave team on Wednesday. We’ll be talking about how to get your hormones right so you get the most out of your patches.
You can get access by joining the team here. Start with the X39 at Core, Advanced, or Premium. Once you’ve signed up, look for an email from Kathleen Horstmeyer, who will get you signed up for our masterclass series. She is available for support and customer success. I hope to see you on Wednesday!
The Power of Hormones
Every day in my practice, I witness the transformative power of bioidentical hormones in helping patients heal and thrive. The results speak for themselves—patients who start bioidentical hormones routinely experience better sleep, increased energy, weight loss, and improved mood once we address their hormone deficiencies and imbalances.
From Skeptic to Believer
I didn't begin my career as an advocate for bioidentical hormones. In fact, I approached them with deep skepticism. Many of you may have heard concerning claims like "estrogen causes breast cancer" or "testosterone causes prostate cancer."
These statements are, at best, untrue and at worst, deliberate misinformation. The evidence actually shows significant risks associated with synthetic or non-bioidentical estrogens, including their contribution to breast cancer. This is precisely why I exclusively prescribe bioidentical hormones and consider any other form unacceptably unsafe.
For a deeper dive into this topic, I recommend watching my detailed conversation with Dr. Daved Rosensweet, my friend and mentor in hormone replacement therapy:
Why the Medical Establishment Resists
Why does mainstream medicine remain so resistant to bioidentical hormones? The answer is simple: ignorance of the scientific literature. Most physicians view all hormones as identical, failing to distinguish between bioidentical hormones and synthetic alternatives like medroxyprogesterone acetate.
This perspective is scientifically incorrect. Unfortunately, many doctors show little interest in updating their knowledge. They continue prescribing synthetic hormones despite acknowledging their inherent risks.
Beware of Pseudo-Experts
Some self-proclaimed experts express skepticism about bioidentical hormones, but I've observed that many of these critics don't actually treat patients. They base their opinions solely on scientific literature while often selling competing products like supplements. Most lack the licensure to prescribe hormones and have zero clinical experience using them.
Be wary of these pseudo-experts who criticize treatments they've never used in practice. Their theories may sound convincing, backed by cherry-picked studies, but they ignore the clinical reality that practitioners like myself witness daily: patients on appropriate bioidentical hormone protocols feel better, live longer, and experience fewer health problems.
The doctors I look to for answers on hormones are Dr. David Brownstein, Dr. Daved Rosensweet, and Dr. Neal Rouzier. I’ve linked to their books on hormones - they are affiliate links. Your purchases help to keep this content free.
The Benefits Are Real
The growing body of literature continues to demonstrate that bioidentical hormones reduce the risk of major illness and death while improving quality of life. I use them daily in my practice and will share specific case studies in future posts.
Are Bioidentical Hormones Right for You?
Professionally, I believe everyone will benefit from bioidentical hormones at some point in their life. Exactly what hormones, when to start, and for how long should be determined in consultation with your physician.
Personally, I plan to begin bioidentical hormone therapy when I start noticing decreased energy levels (likely sometime after 40). As I tell my patients, hormones are what keep us from prematurely aging. If you want to maintain your vitality and independence as you age, I recommend bioidentical hormones as a matter of course.
Our Approach to Hormone Therapy
In my practice, we prescribe:
For women: progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, DHEA, and thyroid hormone
For men: testosterone, DHEA, and thyroid hormone
We use various preparations of each. Cortisol and other corticosteroids can also be helpful for modulating the immune system, and some patients require them for survival due to damage to their hormone-producing glands.
While I've never prescribed growth hormone (which is illegal in the United States), it's worth mentioning as a powerful therapeutic option that some patients seek overseas.
Though many more hormones are used in clinical practice, these are the key hormones that we see transforming patients' lives time and again in our practice.
I wrote a quick guide to balancing hormones in menopause. You can read it here:
Why Am I Such a Believer in Hormones?
First, because I have seen the evidence in my practice. They are life-giving, life-saving medications.
Second, because we live in a hormone-disrupted world. The evidence of this is staggering. From microplastics to pesticides to heavy metals, we are exposed to ever more hormone-disrupting compounds in our environment. There are only two remedies - reduce our exposure and supplement our levels. There are a variety of ways to do this, but that is a story for another day.
Third, because as we age, hormone levels decline and there seems to be no downside to supplementing them. Again, many people will say that there are risks, but to my knowledge no study of bioidentical hormones has ever reported worse outcomes in the treatment group than the placebo or standard-of-care group. I will mention that in patients who are older, there is an increased risk of cardiovascular events (stroke or heart attack) after initiation of bioidentical hormones, because it causes destabilization of the vessel wall. This small risk is balanced by a significant reduction of other risks.
I will be writing more about hormones in the near future. For now, I wanted to set the record straight. Bioidentical hormones are critical to optimal aging. Anyone who tells you otherwise hasn't studied the literature or hasn't used them in clinical practice.
Until next time, be well,
Dr. Stillman
This post represents my professional medical opinion based on both scientific evidence and extensive clinical experience. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before starting any hormone therapy.
Thank you for posting this, I will be 47 soon and it’s so difficult to sort through all the information out there about menopause. It’s overwhelming! This is so helpful.