Insights on menopause and bioidentical hormone therapy
Articles written by Dr Cristina Lenzi, specialist in internal medicine and expert in bioidentical hormones, and by guest professionals.
Looking for the data? Find out how many women are in menopause in Italy, at what age it arrives and how long it lasts.
If this is the first time you are reading about bioidentical hormones, start here:
Symptoms and perimenopause
Perimenopause: the early symptoms and what causes them
Changing periods, waking at 2am, stiff joints in the morning, a mood that comes and goes, tiredness with “normal” test results: the symptoms that herald perimenopause, the age at which they appear and the hormone behind each one. With Dr Lenzi.
Hormones and therapy
What are bioidentical hormones, and how do they differ from synthetic hormones?
Bioidentical hormones have the same molecular structure as the ones your body produces. Here you will find what they are for in menopause, how they are taken, whether they are safe, what sets them apart from synthetic hormones and who can prescribe them.
Hormones and therapy
How bioidentical hormone therapy (BHRT) works: effects, contraindications and the role of your doctor
How long it takes to work, when it makes sense to start, what side effects it can cause and how it is monitored over time. The questions patients ask most often about bioidentical hormone therapy, with Dr Lenzi's answers.
What are you looking for?
Three steps, in order. Choose the one you want to start from.
All articles
15 articles
Hormones and therapy
Bioidentical progesterone in menopause: what it is, what it is for and how to use it
What bioidentical progesterone is and what it is for in menopause: how it differs from progestins, sleep, perimenopause, how to take it, side effects and what changes if you no longer have a uterus, with Dr Lenzi's position.
Hormones and therapy
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT): brand names, medicine by medicine
The medicines registered for hormone replacement therapy in Italy and their names: continuous and sequential combinations, tibolone, conjugated oestrogens, progestins, estradiol valerate and local use. For each one, what it contains, how to take it and whether it is reimbursed by the Italian National Health Service (SSN).
Hormones and therapy
Hormone replacement therapy in menopause: what it is, when it is recommended, risks and how to start
What hormone replacement therapy is, synthetic or bioidentical, and what changes in the body: the side effects, the risks of each type of hormone, what happens without it, when to start and which hormones are used, with Dr Lenzi's position.
Hormones and therapy
How much does bioidentical hormone therapy cost, and who prescribes it?
Visits, tests and pharmacy preparation: what bioidentical hormone therapy really costs, who you pay for each item, who sets the price, why the first year costs more, what is free or tax-deductible and which doctor can prescribe it.
Heart, bones and metabolism
Menopause weight gain: why it happens and what to do
In the transition to menopause, fat tends to move to the abdomen and muscle tends to decrease. Why it happens, how to measure visceral fat with the waist-to-height ratio and where prevention starts, with Prof. Sarzani and Dr Stella.
Heart, bones and metabolism
Weight-loss medication in menopause: what GLP-1 analogues are and who they are suitable for
GLP-1 analogues, such as semaglutide, increase fullness and make it easier to eat less. How they work, who they are suitable for in perimenopause and menopause, what the SELECT study showed and why only a doctor prescribes them.
Symptoms and perimenopause
Perimenopause: the early symptoms and what causes them
Changing periods, waking at 2am, stiff joints in the morning, a mood that comes and goes, tiredness with “normal” test results: the symptoms that herald perimenopause, the age at which they appear and the hormone behind each one. With Dr Lenzi.
Hormones and therapy
Bioidentical hormones: brand names, molecule by molecule
Estradiol, micronised progesterone, estriol, estetrol, DHEA, testosterone: which products exist in Italy for each molecule, which are reimbursed by the Italian National Health Service (SSN) and which you pay for. A guide by Dr Lenzi, with one thing to say up front: the choice is not made from a list.
Safety and risks
Compounded bioidentical hormone preparations: how they are made and who checks their quality
A compounded preparation starts with a prescription written for you, with doses that do not exist in ready-made packs. A compounding pharmacist explains how a transdermal bioidentical hormone cream is made, who checks its quality and how to use the Topi-Click.
Hormones and therapy
What are bioidentical hormones, and how do they differ from synthetic hormones?
Bioidentical hormones have the same molecular structure as the ones your body produces. Here you will find what they are for in menopause, how they are taken, whether they are safe, what sets them apart from synthetic hormones and who can prescribe them.
Heart, bones and metabolism
Health in menopause: protecting your heart, bones and brain and slowing the ageing process
Menopause does not only change the symptoms you feel: it also affects your heart, bones and brain. Which areas are most exposed when oestrogen falls, and what research says about the role of hormone therapy in long-term protection.
Hormones and therapy
How bioidentical hormone therapy (BHRT) works: effects, contraindications and the role of your doctor
How long it takes to work, when it makes sense to start, what side effects it can cause and how it is monitored over time. The questions patients ask most often about bioidentical hormone therapy, with Dr Lenzi's answers.
Heart, bones and metabolism
Menopause and thyroid: why your metabolism slows down
Do you find yourself gaining weight even though you eat little, ever since your periods changed or stopped? Sex hormones can slow your metabolism even when thyroid tests come back “normal”: how to recognise the signs and when it makes sense to look into it further.
Hormones and therapy
Treating menopause with personalised, transdermal bioidentical hormone therapy: the Marion Gluck method
Who Marion Gluck is and why her method uses transdermal creams at a personalised dose instead of tablets. The history of bioidentical hormone therapy, the role of the liver and why the route of administration matters.
Hormones and therapy
Do all men go through andropause? Let's look at age, symptoms, diagnosis and solutions.
Many women do not know that men also go through a form of “menopause”: it is called andropause. Find out what andropause is and how bioidentical hormones can help men regain wellbeing and vitality.