My mother died at 51 when I was only 21 so for the rest of my adult life, I had no reference point for my menstruation cycles, which became very heavy in my 30's. In my late 40's I had breast cancer which resulted in a full mastectomy. My bleeding also became nearly constant and I developed critical anemia. I then had a partial hysterectomy, but kept my ovaries.
My symptoms of menopause began in my 40's but without my uterus, it was hard to tell. 2 years ago the hot flashes, mood swings, lack of sleep became unbearable and was causing me to "feel" crazy. I couldn't concentrate on work, I gained weight for no reason and cried nearly all the time.
Once I was finally prescribed the compounded hormones, the hot flashes, which hit me 15-20 times daily, went to a very tolerable level and to only one or two a day, if that. I am back to being a fully functioning grown up.

I know women who have never had a hot flash. Most of my friends had mild and tolerable symptoms, but I did not.

The nonchalant one-size-fits-all approach to women's health in this country is one of it's biggest failings. Being able to get these hormones custom compounded for my situation is critical.

I knew in my mid to late 40’s that something had changed and as a registered nurse l was blaming peri- menopause. My doctor had suggested antidepressants and anti anxiety medication but l was not a fan of those and felt this was more menopausal than depression.
I met Dr. Ayala on a visit to my regular doctor who referred me.
Dr. Ayala ran a series of tests but suspected l was experiencing a hormonal imbalance. I was angry a lot which isn’t a good thing with my job and was creating problems at home also. I was frustrated and cried a lot also.
I wasn’t sleeping either which just escalated things.
Dr. Ayala upon getting the results said l needed hormone therapy and the bio synthetic hormone replacement was safer.
It has been 17 years now and although we have tweaked the strength now and then according to lab results and how l am feeling l feel we finally found something that has kept me more balanced and essentially saved my personal and professional life. I feel these are beneficial and much safer than regular hormone therapy and l have had regular Pap smears without incidence.
Please don’t take this away from me as l don’t want to get lost again. I depend on this for my well being, sleep and balance.
My husband and family need me as l am now not as l was before.

I have used natural hormone therapy since 1999. My cystic breast disease went away after starting progesterone. I have had no hot flashes. My energy to exercise is still good. I can run/walk a 12 minute mile at age 67. Have not had any breast cancer or uterine cancer. After getting my hormones balanced, my thyroid levels balanced out. I use a compounded progesterone cream and an estriol/estradiol cream. Have no heart disease or high cholesterol. Since estrogen falls in menopause but progesterone falls more, I need both to be well and feel well.

I'd been on prescribed hormones since a total hysterectomy in the early 2000's. Due to cancer scares from them I decided to try and go without them. Needless to say it didn't work. I experienced all of the usual symptoms from not having hormones plus suffered with 24/7 horrible hot flashes also my memory was just awful and actually quite scary!!! I tried for MONTHS to give my body time to adjust to the new normal and tried over the counter medication but just couldn't do it any longer. My quality of life was just suffering too much. I decided to try Compounded hormones as I felt it would be safer and I could actually use a much lower dose of hormones than I could by prescription. The results were nothing short of amazing. I'm now 76 years old and absolutely cannot live without this cream. It's a very low dose but without it I truly think Id end up in a nursing home. My memory would be shot and my body would be an even worse wreck. Even missing a dose is enough to send me back into horrid hot flashes immediately. PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THIS OPTION AWAY FROM THOSE OF US WHO DEPEND ON IT TO LIVE A NORMAL LIFE!!!! We deserve to choose what works best for us and is the safest for our situation.

I had struggled with anxiety, depression, fatigue and low libido for years without relief.
I heard about hrt from a friend who has it done and decided to make an appointment.
I am so glad I did. It’s made a night and day difference. I feel like I have my life back! Everyone close to me has noticed- I have referred many.

cBHT therapy has been essential in my overall well being as a woman. Especially for women who are middle age and in the work force. The relationship between me, my doctor, and the compounding pharmacy is one of familiarity and ease of communication. I can talk to either my doctor or the pharmacy whenever I have questions or need a personalized consultation about my hormones.

Please do not level restrictions on the compounding pharmacies in this area of hormone therapy. Their service is essential in preventative care in the health industry.
Thank you!

I had much trouble sleeping and had unexplained weight gain and mood changes. The compounded progesterone cream has helped me to sleep through the night and generally have made me feel better. while nothing else I tried in the past has helped me at all.

I’ve been taking cBHT for approximately six years. I was seen by a physiologist, Christine Milrod, PhD who specializes in non-binary and similar feelings to be evaluated to start cBHT. Dr. Milrod wrote a letter for my doctor to recommend that I take cBHT. My doctor agreed with Dr. Milrod’s expert opinion. cBHT has greatly helped me feel comfortable being my true self and as a result I feel happier. It’s also raised what was a low libido due to having a full hysterectomy since ovaries create by far most of the testosterone in women. The hysterectomy was necessary due to severe pain caused from a medical condition that required a lot of medical attention. Please do not limit or ban the use of cBHT - I need it.

I am a military veteran who was diagnosed with hypogonadism, hypothyroid, and depression/anxiety resulting from PTSD. Early on when my symptoms began during my last year in the military extending to my first two years of college, I tried several conventional treatments they included antidepressants and benzodiazepines supplied by the VA then numerous private doctors. This led to a 2 year dependency on benzodiazepines followed by 18 months of horrible withdrawals after deciding to discontinue. Around the time I was withdrawing from benzodiazepines, I found a new integrative doctor who called for a more tutor Pugh evaluation than I had ever received before. The evaluation included blood work that confirmed a diagnoses of multiple hormone insufficiency including very low levels of testosterone. I was prescribed testosterone replacement therapy using a compounded testosterone that blends multiple esters to accommodate note frequent subcutaneous dosing (there is a specific reason for this regimen and it took a few years to dial in the best protocol for me). To mitigate the upstream hormone depletion from TRT I am also prescribed DHEA, and pregnenolone capsules which made a huge positive impact on my depression and anxiety. It was almost immediate starting with the initial dose before bedtime which I can still recall today. I’m addition I am prescribed HCG. Years later, or 1 year ago I was diagnosed with sub clinical hypothyroid by another primary care doctor who I saw several times for symptoms related to fatigue and a GI issue. Along the way it was determined I had low circulating T3 and elevated reverse T3 which has been treated with a short course of compounded T3/T4 I’m a specific ratio that the physician dialed in over several tests and titrations (it took her 3 to get my dosing right). Once again I notice a difference within days of starting my course.

I am a patient of compounded medications and fully understand the importance of maintaining access to custom hormone formulations. I know many other veterans who also are prescribed compounded BHT. I believe patients have a right to access and freedoms of choice. What the FDA is doing against compounded BHt seems unnecessary, wreaks of bias, and will do nothing but hurt patients and their providers who are unable find anything like these medications on the commercial market, let alone destroy the ability to personalize the dosing.

I am a board certified holistic nurse. After having done much research, I know the value and efficacy of bio-identical hormone replacement. It has helped me improve my quality of life, better bone/DXA scan reports, my brain and emotions well managed. Overall my vitality for a 72 year old woman can match many women 10 years younger. I'm healthier for it is the bottom line.

Bio identical hormone therapy has given me back my life! Without it, I am absolutely miserable, I’m challenged to function normally on a daily basis, my body and mind are so much better, and happier through using this product!

I have been using compounded hormones since 2013. Recently my doctor wanted to know if I would switch to non compounded therapy. I said I would try it. When I went to pick up script for one month it was going to be 300.00 dollars. I have insurance. I did not accept this 300 dollar prescription. I can not afford 300 dollars a month. Compounded therapy works well for me and I can afford it. I do not wish for this to be taken away. I am comfortable with it and have had no issues since 2013 to present date. It gives me better quality of life.

I was suffering from hot flashes for several months when I talked to my pharmacist about my issue. She recommended trying some over the counter herbal remedies. These did not work. She suggested I see my doctor and ask for a compounded prescription. I got that and the pharmacy started my dosage at a low amount applied to my skin. I also had saliva testing done. The prescription applied to my skin didn't work. So, I went on a compounded capsule. The very next day I didn't have a hot flash! I could hardly believe it. After suffering so long this was like a dream come true for me. I have been taking the capsule ever since. I have had some adjustments made over the years, but, am still taking the medication. And, continue to have the saliva testing done.

Just turning 51, after being on birth control pills for a very long time, my old doctor tells me that I have to go off them and I might have a rocky road going into menopause. I was Not Prepared at all for the hot flashes, night sweats, mental confusion that hit me out of nowhere.
I had heard about Bioidentical hormones from Suzanne Somers on HSN and was very interested in finding out more. I found a cutting edge Dr. and she put me in touch with a Wonderful compounding pharmacy and I had a consultation with Dr. Bashiri. She started me on very low dose regimen because birth control pills had to finish emptying out of my system, in order to get correct hormone levels, She also gave me healthy Stress Adrenal supplements. I started feeling better especially after first 6 months. Then she was able to increase my hormone cream levels and things Really started to Change for the better! I had my hormone levels checked every 6 months and I began to feel Balanced and not on a crazy roller coaster ride. I can’t tell you how much these Bioidentical hormones have helped me. Menopause is no joke and when you are not Aware of how different you are going to feel, it is like a Scary, Horrible thing that Overwhelms you. I have been on Bioidentical hormones for 12 yrs and I feel like I can go through the years feeling Really Good and have a Balance and feel and look much younger than my age too. I am So Happy to have found Bioidentical hormones plus it helped me deal with Stress of COVID too.

I have several autoimmune conditions and her sensitive to fillers found in medications that cannot be customized. Moreover, I have absorption issues and do not absorb the traditional thyroid medications well; however, the compounded thyroid hormone options allowed me to find a solution that works for my body.

Back in 2012, my MD took me off of the synthetic hormones that I had been on for several months. My body literally fell apart with the onslaught of Menopause. I found a Naturepath to consult with as daily living was becoming torturous. Immediately, she put me on cBHT and within days I was stabilized and coping with Menopause with a more positive outlook. I cannot tell you how much those cBHT helped with my daily life. It would be extremely unfair to the women of the world who are yet to experience Menopause for them to NOT have the ability to start taking cBHT. The synthetic hormones can endanger your health which is why my MD took me off of them. These are the facts of synthetic hormones - they endanger a woman's health. You must keep the ability to order cBHT for women who need this support for their bodies.

To say that my bioidentical hormones keep me from ripping people's heads off and kicking them down the road might be an overstatement, but the impact is not. They keep me balanced, physically and emotionally, they are compounded specifically for my situation and are adjusted periodically, and they are safer than the HRT products on the market. In a fire, this is the first thing I would grab - that is how important they are to my physical and emotional well-being. Anyone who needs a bioidentical hormone prescription should be able to get one, wherever they live, and without any interference from a government body, especially one overly influenced by the world of traditional pharmaceuticals. There is a place for traditional pharmaceuticals, but in this case, bioidentical hormones are a much better option for women like me who need the hormonal support but don't want to be overly medicated or suffer unfortunate side effects from cookie cutter HRT's.

I'm a 54 year old woman who has been on a low dose of compounded hormones for 2 years. I have NO menopausal symptoms since I started - no hot flashes, great sleep, stable mood, etc. Please DO NOT take away one of the only effective treatments for menopause symptoms and hormonal imbalance. This effort is ill-conceived, ill-advised and has nothing to do with the real needs of 1/2 of the population who goes through menopause!

I have been taking compounded hormones since 1997. After menopause I was having intense hot flashes all night and during the day. Of course my sleep was minimal. I
also was having multiple anxiety attacks and lost energy and libido. I tried to go without hormones for a year and a half but things just got worse. So I decided to take the hormones that would be the best and most natural for my body. The compounded hormones have restored my quality of life and I am very grateful for them.