Class of 2008 Abstract / Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of using compounded Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) in menopausal women, by employing the MRS. Methods: This study used a one group pre-test/ post-test. Included were 25 menopausal women, whom at initial BHRT consultation at Reed’s Compounding Pharmacy filled out a baseline menopausal rating scale (MRS). Eleven weeks into therapy, patients were asked to participate in this study and if interest was expressed, they were asked to fill out another MRS for comparison. Results: There was a statistically significant decrease in overall MRS scores and in each of the 3 subscales (psychological, somatic and urogenital) (p</= 0.001). Additionally, when evaluating each MRS item individually, there were statistically significant decreases in all symptoms of menopause except for heart discomfort. Most improvements were seen in hot flushes/sweating, sleep and sexual problems (p<0.001). Conclusions: Patients using BHRT improved overall physically and mentally, which would be depicted by improved scores on the MRS.

The start of the menopausal transition involves the introduction of various somatic, urogenital, and psychological symptoms; of the symptoms, irritability is one of the main complaints reported by women. The use of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy has become more prevalent in society, specifically treating the somatic and urogenital symptoms of the menopausal transition. This study aims to determine the effects of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) on irritability in menopausal women. To test the hypotheses, an online survey was distributed to women via social media and word-of-mouth. Participants were asked to respond to various questions, which were then analyzed based on BHRT use. An independent samples t-test was used to analyze the data. The results exemplified no significant relationship between BHRT and irritability; using BHRT does not significantly reduce irritability scores.