What are some characteristics of bioidentical hormones promoted by Suzanne Somers?

Suzanne Somers promotes bioidentical hormone therapy for menopause, which is therapy that uses hormones chemically identical to those the body produces to correct the hormone imbalances that result from menopause, according to Oprah. Proponents of bioidentical hormone therapy claim that it is superior to traditional hormone therapy because many formulations customize the dose and composition of the therapy based on testing of hormone levels in the saliva, notes Mayo Clinic.

Some women turn to bioidentical hormone therapy to avoid the side effects of traditional hormone therapy, which include breast tenderness and bleeding, according to the Harvard Medical School. No evidence exists to support the claim that bioidentical hormone therapy, often referred to as natural hormone therapy, is safer or more effective than traditional hormone therapy. In fact, several hormone traditional hormone therapy formulations approved by the FDA contain bioidentical hormones not synthesized in labs, argues Mayo Clinic.

Some experts warn that custom-made pills of bioidentical hormones are not approved by the FDA due to the lack of testing to determine whether the formulations are reliably absorbed into the blood stream at sufficient levels, advises the North American Menopause Society. The saliva testing from which individual doses of the therapy are formulated are not representative of the hormones present in the body, explains Mayo Clinic.