Medications

Can implantable hormone pellets prevent bone loss?

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Ask the doctor

I've heard that bioidentical hormone pellets injected near the hip are more effective than bone-building drugs in stopping bone loss and preventing hip fracture. Is this true?

There is a lot of confusion surrounding bioidentical hormones. The term is often used to distinguish estrogens and progestogens derived from plant sources from those synthesized in a laboratory or conjugated from horse urine. It has also been applied to hormone products custom-prepared in compounding pharmacies. Women may assume that compounded hormones are more natural, and thus safer, than hormones manufactured by pharmaceutical companies, but a 2015 survey conducted by the North American Menopause Society found a higher percentage of endometrial cancers in women using compounded hormones than among those taking the FDA-approved pharmaceutical versions.

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