Hormones chemically identical to those the body produces; some are FDA-approved, some are compounded.
Also known as: body-identical hormones, BHRT
Bioidentical hormones have the same chemical structure as hormones the body makes, such as estradiol and progesterone. Many FDA-approved products meet this description.
The term is also used to market custom-compounded preparations, which are not FDA-approved and carry the standard cautions that apply to compounded medications.