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Updated: Jul 14, 2026

An In Vivo Estrogen Deficiency Mouse Model for Screening Exogenous Estrogen Treatments of Cardiovascular Dysfunction After Menopause
Published on: August 13, 2019
Bioidentical hormones for menopausal hormone therapy: variation on a theme
Adriane Fugh-Berman1, Jenna Bythrow
1Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Georgetown University School of Medicine, 571460, Washington, DC 20052-1460, USA. ajf29@georgetown.edu
Background:
Progesterone creams and natural or bioidentical compounded estrogen preparations are being promoted to consumers as safe alternatives to conventional menopausal hormone therapy and as health-promoting tonics. No reliable data support these claims.
Safety:
Natural hormones, including estradiol, estriol, estrone, and progesterone, can be expected to have the same adverse event profile as conventional menopausal hormone regimens.
Salivary Hormone Tests:
Salivary tests may be used to persuade asymptomatic consumers to use hormones (or symptomatic patients to use higher doses than those needed to mitigate symptoms), a practice that can be expected to result in adverse events.
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