In Natural Hormone Balance for Women, Beverly Hills obstetrician-gynecologist Uzzi Reiss makes it clear that he believes in hormone replacement therapy for women, but not the "chemicalized hormonal substitutes" usually prescribed. "I emphasize natural hormones that are precise replicas of your own hormones," he writes, which can increase energy and memory, decrease symptoms of menopause and PMS, improve skin and mood, and enhance sleep, sexuality, and well-being. But neither the widely used hormonal medications, such as estrogens derived from horse urine, nor the "natural" hormonal products derived from soy or yams replicate the hormones produced by a woman's body. Rather, he recommends a natural estrogen formula balanced with natural progesterone, both available through compounding pharmacies (with a doctor's prescription).

Excellent!

Easy to follow and easy to understand all-you-ever-wanted-to-know regarding hormonal balance and treatment. A must read for every woman!

If you read only one book this year, make it this one.

My nurse practitioner asked me to read "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause" so I came to Amazon to look for it and read the reviews. While reading the reviews, I found this book and read the reviews here. I decided I would read the Dr. Lee book and this one to begin with. I believe the books balance each other nicely. For some reason I trust this book more. I have gotten the short end of the stick from the medical community, but I still wouldn't go into a store, buy hormone cream of any kind and start rubbing it into my skin because a book told me to do it. I have finally found a doctor willing to listen and I am using this book to help me be sure I am educated about the topic he and I are discussing when I visit. These books will tell you far more than your doctor can during a regular visit. My previous doctor, a DO, put me on Zoloft and Welbutrin, told me she wouldn't be able to let me stop the medication and told me I would just have to get used to it due to my age (I'm 39, but 37 when she prescribed the meds). It is infuriating that this kind of stuff goes on, so read up on the topic and ask everyone all over town until you find a doctor or nurse practitioner specializing in women's health and hormones.

A Must-Have Book for Women

This is a GREAT book for women of all ages with hormonal problems. There is simply no other book like it. The author goes into great detail about actual suggested starting doses of bioidentical hormones for different symptoms, and also gives the names and addresses of compounding pharmacies. Because compounded bioidentical hormones are such a new idea for most doctors, you will probably find it impossible to locate a physician with this much experience in prescribing hormones. Reading this book, by a male doctor who actually likes and respects women!, will give you the knowledge to ask for what you need from your own doctor. I had such extreme menopausal symptoms and such bad side effects from the typical "one-size-fits-all" estrogen dose, that I had to ask my doctor to prescribe separate small doses of the two stronger estrogens: estradiol and estrone. Then I used trial and error to discover the correct dose of each for me. The two estrogens are not alike in their effects or the length of time they last. Estradiol is about 12 times stronger than estrone, which is like a longer-lasting storage supply of estrogen that can be brought out when needed. Tiny .05 mg differences in dosage were the difference between comfort and misery for me. As Dr. Reiss says, no doctor can really tell a woman what dose of hormones she needs, any more than a doctor can tell a diabetic what dose of insulin he needs. Only a woman's body can tell her what dose of hormones she needs. Diabetics have their glucometers to guide them, but we menopausal women just have to go by our symptoms. However, your body will tell you within 3 days whether you are on the right track. With the typical prescription from the typical doctor, you might have to spend 3 months suffering with an incorrect dose, so buy this book and learn what your doctor probably doesn't know. Then give the book to your doctor to read.