WHAT IS OESTROGEN? THE ‘NATURAL’ AND THE ‘SYNTHETIC’ HORMONES OF HRT

Posted in Hormonal on April 21st, 2009

You may be confused by the distinction made between the ‘natural’ and the ’synthetic’ hormones of HRT. When your doctor describes a particular HRT hormone as natural, this means that it is broken down according to a normal biological pathway of the body. For this to occur, it must have the same structure as a hormone produced by the woman, or a very similar one. Examples of natural oestrogens include Progy-nova, Ogen, Premarin, Estraderm, Oestradiol Implants and micronised Oestradiol (a component of Trisequens). There are, however, significant differences between the architecture of these various forms of oestrogen and the effects they have on the body. Some lower your blood pressure, while others do not alter it; some seem to affect moods more than others. These effects are especially pronounced in particular women.

When doctors talk of synthetic hormones, they are referring to hormones that are structurally different from those produced by the body and are not broken down or converted into other substances in the usual ways. One synthetic oestrogen widely prescribed for the treatment of menopausal symptoms until the mid-1980s, and still on the market, is Estigyn. This contains ethinyl oestradiol, a common component of the contraceptive pill and a far more powerful oestrogen, in terms of its effect on body tissues, than the natural oestrogens.

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