Compounded Bioidentical Menopausal Hormone Therapy

SUMMARY: Many compounding pharmacies use the phrase "bioidentical hormone" as a marketing term to imply that these preparations are natural and, thus, safer and more effective than U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved menopausal medications that use bioidentical or synthetic hormones or both. However, evidence to support marketing claims of safety and effectiveness is lacking. Compounded bioidentical menopausal hormone therapy should not be prescribed routinely when FDA-approved formulations exist. Clinicians should counsel patients that FDA-approved menopausal hormone therapies are recommended for the management of menopausal symptoms over compounded bioidentical menopausal hormone therapy. If a patient requests the use of compounded bioidentical menopausal hormone therapy, clinicians should educate them on the lack of FDA approval of these preparations and their potential risks and benefits, including the risks specific to compounding. To truly understand the benefits and harms of compounded bioidentical menopausal hormone therapy, high quality placebo-controlled randomized controlled trials with long-term follow-up comparing custom-compounded products with FDA-approved menopausal hormone therapy are needed.