The Investigation Women experience a range of physical and emotional changes when they enter the perimenopause stage. These symptoms vary greatly from person to person and may include:  Hot flashes Night sweats Low libido Increased anxiety Not sleeping well Low energy Weight gain Menstrual cycle irregularities Cyclical headaches or migraines Mood swings Memory loss  Brain fog Vaginal dryness Urinary tract infections  Hair thinning For a lot of women, they hold the false belief that this is something they have to suffer through. There are treatment options out there but with conflicting reports and information, it can be a challenge to figure out the right one. This confusion and fear is another reason that so many women resign themselves to just suffering through this period of their life.  In episode 96 of Health Mysteries Solved, we spoke with Dr. Jim Hrncir about this issue. The response I got from that episode was fantastic but I could see that there were more questions too. So, I decided to invite Dr. Hrncir back to dive deeper into these questions around the safety and efficacy of compounding bioidentical hormones for treating the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause.    An Advocate and Expert in Compounding Bioidentical Hormones Dr. Jim Hrncir is a hormone expert and compounding pharmacist. In fact, he’s one of the pioneers of modern pharmaceutical compounding. Jim is responsible for the formulation of many bioidentical hormones, as well as dermatological, nutritional, and anti-aging compounds available throughout the US. And, he’s one of the driving forces taking on big pharma (and congress) to clear the path for the use of bioidentical hormones in the US.  He’s passionate about what bioidentical hormones can do for women’s health; not just in reducing symptoms but in supporting optimal health.    The Benefits of Compounded Bioidentical Hormones (Beyond Reducing Menopause Symptoms) While most women turn to bioidentical hormones to help them deal with the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause, Jim says that there are additional health benefits to bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) that often get overlooked.  He claims that his bioidentical hormone replacement therapy patients experience better health as well as a higher quality of life.  According to Dr. Hrncir, women who are on bioidentical hormone treatments will have a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke (which, he explains, is the number one killer of women with 400,000 female deaths related to heart attack and stroke each year). He also says that bioidentical hormones help reduce osteoporosis.  Breast cancer is often a concern for women and those on bioidentical hormones can see a decreased risk here too, according to Dr. Hrncir. He also says that these hormones can help with anti-aging, colon health, brain health, and sexual health.  In this episode, he shared some unbelievable statistics about the degree of risk reduction. Dr. Hrncir says that women who use these hormones “are going to have a 50% decreased risk of heart disease and stroke. A 50% decreased risk of osteoporosis. Twenty percent decreased risk in breast cancer risks… also 78% decreased risk in dementia. And, what about colon cancer? Reduce risk 50%. Longevity and antiaging, you know, none of us want to age faster than we have to. Plus, isn't it nice to know that these hormones, not only are they sex hormones, but they're also anti-inflammatory hormones, which means they're going to be reducing inflammation, not only in your body and your joints and your muscles, but also in your brain, you know brain inflammation leads to all kinds of disturbances including dementia.”   When Can Women Start Using Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy Dr. Hrncir says that women don’t need to wait to have symptoms of perimenopause before starting on bioidentical hormone therapy since the health benefits are reason enough to start. He feels that even women who are pre-perimenopause and who ar