#1: HRT v Bio-Identical Hormones Dr John Moran

Posted by kathryn on September 3, 2010

Listen to the Dr John Moran interview on HRT and Bio-identical Hormones. Your choices for the treatment of Menopause“Hello, it’s Kathryn Colas here from SimplyHormones.com (www.simplyhormones.com). I’m here today to talk to Dr John Moran from the Holistic Medical Clinic (www.holisticmedical.co.uk)  in Wimpole Street, London. But, before we start, let me tell you a little about him …  ”

“Dr Moran did his full medical training at St Georges Hospital, London University and went on to further qualify in Family Planning & Reproductive Medicine, Sexual Dysfunction and Nutritional Medicine and, further, he has written many articles on Bio-identical Hormones and Anti-aging Medicine in peer reviewed scientific magazines.”

“In 1979 he started The Menopause Clinic in London and has been prescribing bio-identical hormones for the last fifteen years from his private clinic in Wimpole Street.”

“Dr Moran promotes preventative medicine, combining bio-identical hormones with nutritional medicine as he believes this to be the best way to slow down the ageing process.”

Kathryn Colas: “We’re going to discuss menopause treatments, Dr Moran, can you tell the listeners something about the benefits of HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy)?”

Dr Moran: “HRT is primarily used to treat the symptoms of the menopause which can be very debilitating; in particular hot flushes, night sweats leading to insomnia, depression hyper anxiety, loss of sex drive, low energy and last but not least, dry vagina. But there are other benefits of HRT and by giving HRT, oestrogen slows down the process of bone loss that particularly occurs in the first five years of post-menopause. It also improves collagen in skin and is cardio protective as indicated in the Nurses Health Study and there is some evidence that if you start taking HRT at the beginning of menopause it may also prevent dementia.”

KC: “That’s great, thank, you Doctor and I also know women who are contacting me that are interested in using natural medication for helping them alleviate these disturbing symptoms so can we take a look at bio-identical hormones?”

Dr M: “Yes, I primarily use bio-identical hormones in my practice because a lot of my patients can’t get on with some of the side-effects that some women have particularly with the progestogens in conventional HRT.  Bio-Identicals are natural because they are derived from soya or yam and then they are converted into whichever hormone you want namely the three oestrogens, natural progesterone, testosterone and other hormones. The different routes for Bio-Identicals that can be prescribed are the same as conventional HRT, namely,  oral,  capsule, to swallow, trans-dermal creams or under the tongue sub-lingually.”

KC: “That’s excellent.  How do the benefits of Bio-Identicals differentiate from pharmaceutical HRT?”

Dr M:”I think the main benefits are that you don’t seem to get the same side-effects that you do from the synthetic progestogens in HRT, namely headache, irritability and a whole lot of other pre-menstrual type symptoms. The other benefit and one that’s not talked about much is that there seems to be no evidence to suggest that natural progesterone (bio-identical) combined with whatever oestrogens increases the risk of breast cancer whereas with some synthetic progestogens (found in HRT) there is a small increased risk of breast cancer.”

KC: “That’s excellent. So you could say that you might have pharmaceutical oestrogen combined with the bio-identical progesterone?”

Dr M: “Yes, that is a possibility; particularly the trans-dermal HRT’s which I think are better”

KC: “That’s good; so there’s a lot of choice out there for women. Another question I’m often asked is that some people get worried about the term ‘prescribing off-licence’ which always seems to be connected with Bio-Identicals can you explain that for us?”

Dr M: “Yes, ‘off licence’ is really the wrong word.  You’re prescribing on an individual,  1:1 basis and therefore provided you are a qualified, registered medical practitioner of medicine you are allowed to prescribe on a 1:1 basis something that isn’t, let us say a derivative, derived from the normal pharmacopoeia (official drug list).”

KC: “Good, I hope that sorts some things out and briefly, it’s not  just the taking of HRT or bio-Identicals that is going to help women, what else should women be doing to help reduce the effects of debilitating symptoms as they go through menopause?”

Dr M: “I think women need to look at their lifestyle and particularly they need to be positive at the time of going through menopause as they can get very down and depressed. You really need to look at other factors of your lifestyle such as not smoking, taking regular exercise and particularly eating the right sort of nutrition and if necessary taking the relevant nutritional supplements”

KC: “That’s excellent, thank you Dr Moran, I think that’s given us a very broad piece of information on how to get through menopause and end up smiling!”

Dr M: “My pleasure.”

“Well, there you have it – details about choices for women going through menopause. And, perhaps HRT is a consideration after all, for some people. I know some women who swear by it. BUT getting the right medical advice is paramount. Do look round and find a sympathetic doctor who can help you choose the right medication for you. And, you have in Dr Moran (www.holisticmedical.co.uk),  a good source of knowledge for bio-identical hormones and how to use them in conjunction with pharmaceutical HRT, if that is your chosen route.”

“You can find details of up to date medical research at www.simplyhormones.com.”

“Until the next time, Kathryn Colas, from SimplyHormones.com signing off.”

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