What is Compounding
What is Compounding?
Pharmaceutical compounding—the preparation of medications from raw ingredients for specific patients as directed by a prescribing physician—is one of the oldest traditions in the practice of pharmacy, dating back hundreds of years.
Compounding involves a pharmacist creating a personalized medication based on a doctor’s prescription to address a patient’s unique medical needs. With compounded bioidentical hormones, the strength and method of delivery often differ from standard commercially manufactured drugs and are individually tailored to each patient rather than produced in a one-size-fits-all formulation.
What Are Bioidentical Hormones?
Bioidentical hormones are compounds that are structurally and functionally the same as the hormones naturally produced by the human body. Because they closely mirror the body’s own hormones, bioidentical hormones work in the same way and are recognized by the body as natural rather than foreign.
For this reason, bioidentical hormones are often preferred over animal-derived or synthetic hormones that do not precisely match human hormonal structure. Since the body accepts bioidentical hormones as its own, they can restore declining hormone levels while generally producing fewer side effects.
Additionally, compounded bioidentical hormones can be tailored to meet each person’s unique hormonal requirements.
What is a Hormone?
Hormones are chemical messengers that travel throughout the body to communicate instructions from one cell to another. Each hormone is designed to bind to a specific receptor on the surface of a cell, much like a key fitting into a lock. When the hormone connects with its matching receptor, it activates the cell and delivers its message.
The Delicate Balancing Act
As we grow older, changes in both our bodies and overall well-being are inevitable. Many women experience weight gain, reduced libido, hot flashes, memory difficulties, mood changes, and sleep disturbances. These symptoms are often linked to a natural decline in hormone production, leading to hormonal imbalance—either deficiency or dominance—which is a primary factor behind many health issues faced during the premenopausal and menopausal years.
Men are not exempt from these changes, as they also experience andropause, which may include declining energy and endurance, mental fog or difficulty concentrating, increased abdominal fat, and a loss of muscle mass and strength. Restoring these depleted hormones with bioidentical hormone therapy and achieving proper hormonal balance can help regain vitality and resilience while also offering protection against various age-related conditions.