All of the HRT we prescribe is regulated, we do not prescribe compounded bioidentical hormones as there is a lack of evidence about their effectiveness and safety.
The term ‘bio-identical’ can cause confusion. There are two type of bio-identical HRT. Bio-identical means having the same structure as a substance produced in the body.
Compounded bio-identical HRT
This uses exact duplicates of human hormones, made by specialist pharmacies, but they do not follow the same MHRA regulatory pathway as conventional regulated bio-identical HRT. There is not enough evidence to justify the multiple expensive serum and saliva hormone tests which are recommended to precisely individualise this type of treatment.
Regulated bio-identical HRT
This uses exact duplicates of human hormones which are made in a conventional way by the pharmaceutical industry and are authorised by the regulators such as the MHRA in the UK. This type of HRT can be prescribed by our clinic at Rowena Health, and by your GP on the NHS. This type of HRT is also known as ‘body identical’ HRT. The dose of these hormones can be adjusted to individualise them to you. Examples include oestradiol (oestrogen), in the form of patches, gels and sprays and micronised progesterone (progesterone).
Regulated HRT includes other types of progestogens, which are not bio-identical/body identical, but are widely used, and have different benefit and risk profiles.
When you book an appointment at Rowena Health we consider many things to help guide our choice about the best type of progestogen for you. This includes your past response to hormones (for example in hormonal contraception) your history of premenstrual syndrome and your medical conditions. There is no one size fits all with our recommendations.
Updated October 2025 Dr Carys Sonnenberg Rowena Health