Pharmaceutical Compounding Deal With Hormonal Problems

PCNZ (Pharmaceutical Compounding NZ Limited) is the leading compounding pharmacy in New Zealand for hormone replacement therapies and customised medicines and two of their biggest areas deal with the thyroid gland and progesterone treatment.

The thyroid gland is responsible for controlling the body’s metabolism and many factors can affect the thyroid function. Deficiency of the thyroid hormone’s building blocks such as Iodine, Zinc, Selenium and Tyrosine as well as some environmental pollutants can disrupt the production of various types of thyroid hormone. Hypothyroidism is a condition characterised by low thyroid hormones and high thyroid stimulating hormone levels and its symptoms may include weight gain, sluggishness, fatigue, low mood, feeling cold, dry skin, constipation, allergies, hair loss, low libido, and generalised body aches and pains.

Hormones are vital for life and positive living so when their levels are too high or too low, there are consequences for our health. Hormone imbalances can contribute to many health disorders including menopause, premenstrual syndrome and depression. As a compounding pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Compounding produce various hormone products, either singular or in combination to help re-balance the body's hormone levels.

Anxiety, mood swings, fatigue, restless sleep, headaches, poor memory and low mood are some of the most common symptoms that many women suffer from if they are progesterone deficient. Menopause and PMS are related to a drop in Progesterone. Progesterone has a healing effect on the brain and nerves and may explain why progesterone may be used to prevent or reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Progesterone may also protect against heart diseases and stroke.

Many people think hormonal supplementation (including progesterone) is only needed after menopause. Progesterone levels usually drop during the premenopausal period (10 years prior to menopause) and sometimes much earlier than that. Many young women in their twenties and thirties are progesterone deficient. The drop of progesterone in this age gives rise to symptoms as anxiety, mood swings, headaches and restless sleep. In addition to this, progesterone deficiency is usually associated with premenstrual syndrome, infertility, frequent miscarriages and post-natal depression. Progesterone deficiency symptoms may include anxiety, breast tenderness, depression, mood swings, headaches, fatigue, bloating, fluid retention (swollen ankles and fingers), insomnia, mood swings, hot flashes, night sweats, decreased sex drive, joint aches and pains, and fat gain on hips and thighs.

Bioidentical progesterone supplementation is similar in structure to the progesterone our body produces. It is not the same as the synthetic progestins that are widely prescribed. The synthetic progestins have a different chemical structure than the progesterone produced in our bodies and hence their effects and side effects are also different. In New Zealand, bioidentical progesterone is a prescription only product however many practitioners are not aware of it.

For more information on Pharmaceutical Compounding and their products, please go to http://www.pharmaceutical.co.nz .

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