CU Menopause Specialist Exposes Bioidentical Hormone Risks

Groundbreaking hormone therapy research study warns millions of menopausal women not to use bioidentical compound hormones inappropriately promoted by Suzanne Somers and biomedical companies.  

DENVER, April 04, 2016 -- University of Colorado menopause expert, Nanette Santoro, M.D., urges women not to fall prey to false claims of bioidentical hormone benefits and absence of risks, according to a scientific statement she coauthored for the Endocrine Society. The work combines years of research contributed by multiple organizations and physicians across the country, partly to combat a growing industry of companies and celebrity spokespersons selling these products.

According to Santoro, the report’s conclusion confirms previous medical beliefs and recommendations regarding the use of compound hormones to treat menopause symptoms. Her advice to the millions of menopausal women — don’t use them.

“The unregulated use of these hormones is not only ineffective, but also potentially dangerous for women who receive improperly mixed or even contaminated hormone combinations,” said Santoro. “It’s time to take stock of exactly what you are putting into your body and why.”

‘Custom-compounded’ Bioidentical hormone therapies have recently been popularized by the celebrity Suzanne Somers’ book “I’m Too Young for This!” and other companies as a way to treat menopause symptoms “naturally.” This sounds inviting to the estimated 6,000 U.S. women who reach menopause every day. Somers and others claim incredible benefits from bioidentical hormones, including their reduction in risk of heart attack, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

But the report by Santoro and colleagues refutes such claims. Bioidentical hormones are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); they are created by compounding pharmacies, which are subject to relatively few regulations.  The products are not held to the high standard of manufacture that FDA approved drugs meet.

According to the statement released on April 1, 2016, “The Endocrine Society, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Society for Reproductive Medicine and North American Menopause Society have all concluded that there is no scientific evidence to support claims of increased efficacy or safety for custom compounded bioidentical estrogen or progesterone regimens over FDA-approved hormone therapies.”

Compounding of hormones are not fully regulated by either state or federal agents. Santoro says that custom-compounded therapies’ lack of quality assurance put patients at significant risk of harm from under-dosing, overdosing or contaminations that can result in illnesses.  FDA approved hormone therapies for menopause are closely studied and monitored and must be administered under the supervision of a physician.

The statement continues to recommend that the use of compounded hormone therapies should be limited to individual situations in which no FDA-approved products are available.

“Women need to stop falling victim to the false claims of bioidentical hormones for both their physical and financial health,” said Santoro  For more information on bioidentical hormones, read Santoro’s recent blog posts on bioidentical hormone background and predatory methods of treating menopause.

Media Contact: Kelsey Bernius, Vanguard Communications
[email protected], 303-382-2999