The term "bioidentical hormone therapy" is used to describe hormones that are identical or nearly identical to the molecular structure of hormones produced naturally by your body. Technically, your body cannot tell bioidentical hormones from the ones your ovaries produce.

Bioidentical hormones come from plants like soy or yams, but still need to be chemically processed and altered in a lab to become "bioidenticals." Some FDA-approved products—such as Estrace, Climara patch and Vivelle-Dot patch, which contain estrogens, and Prometrium, a natural progesterone—are also derived from plants.

According to the Endocrine Society and NAMS however, there is no scientific evidence to support that bioidentical hormone therapy is safer or more effective than hormone therapy that uses synthetic estrogen and progesterone. To view a list of all approved hormone treatments for menopause click here.