Growing interest in a more natural approach to hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms has focused attention on bioidentical hormones, which are the same in molecular structure as hormones the body produces, but they are synthesized from a plant chemical extracted from yams and soy or from "natural" plant or animal sources.
But the August issue of Harvard Women's Health Watch says that doesn't mean the so-called "natural" man-made hormones are better. It's not known if they're safer than nonbioidentical hormone drugs. More study is needed.
The newsletter warns that the risk of any hormonal product depends on more than how the product is made, and it says patients should work closely with their doctors to see if the treatment is right for them. The hormones come in a range of products, many — but not all — of them approved by the Food and Drug Administration.