I think it's safe to say that the usual goal of bio-identical hormone therapy is to take the minimum amount of hormones needed to achieve balance.  Seems simple right?  Over the time that I've been taking bio-identical hormones my doctor(s) and I have changed my dosage based on three factors:
<ol>
	<li>symptoms</li>
	<li>blood tests</li>
	<li>saliva hormone testing</li>
</ol>
I have a dear friend who is a well-respected doctor, world-renowned in his particular field (nothing to do with hormones) and we've had a great conversation recently about how "diagnosis" is an art.  I am not a doctor but I really believe what my amazing doctor does for me definitely falls in the category of art!   I feel so fortunate that my doctor's palette includes:
<ul>
	<li>Symptom checklist (very detailed!) every three months!</li>
	<li>Blood tests (every three months)</li>
	<li>Saliva hormone testing (once in a while)</li>
	<li>Bio-identical Hormones</li>
	<li>Nutritional Supplements based on <strong>MY</strong> needs not someone else's</li>
	<li>Keeping up-to-date on the latest research</li>
	<li>Most importantly he LISTENs to ME!</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;