Imatine: Firstly, Hormones are not easy. Research can be murky and confusing. Each person is different and one must be vigilant watching symptoms. But optimistically, if one listens to their body, hormones will let you know very clearly if they need to be adjusted, unlike most other meds.
I researched bioidentical hormones exhaustively before I decided to use them, and I re research them regularly every few months to make sure that I am using them in the safest manner possible. The research is available if limited; especially available from Europe where bioidentical hormones are used more extensively.
Note that Estrogen, in various formulations, is currently FDA-indicated for the prevention of osteoporosis, but not FDA approved. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12734027/

Ask your doctor for the research to back up their statement, that bioidentical hormones have serious side effects like cancer and strokes. The only such research I have ever seen quoted is from the WHI study which did not study bioidentical hormones. It studied Prempro and progestins (man made progestins, not bioidentical progesterone).

It is impossible to determine "serious side effects like cancer and strokes, etc." of bioidentical hormones by looking at a research study like WHI studying only Premarin and progestins.
Below is a link to a good discussion on Bioidentical Hormones on Inspire. Notice the confusion about what is bioidentical and what isn't, and posters who actually suffered strokes possibly caused by their chosen hormone regime but
not from bioidentical hormones. Anyone with known plaque in their arteries should use any hormone and calcium carefully. This is one of the main reasons doctors prefer to start hormones earlier in life rather than later because plaque may break loose or in the case of calcium harden.
https://www.inspire.com/groups/national-osteoporosis-foundation/discussion/bioidentical-hormones-ku5csb/?origin=freshen
Also, note in your researching that for some reasons doctors and researchers actually use the term progesterone and progestins interchangeably, which is terribly confusing, but one is able to figure out with a close reading (progestin, man made not trying to be bioidentical, progesterone, chemically identical to the biology found in the body).
https://www.inspire.com/groups/national-osteoporosis-foundation/discussion/bioidentical-hormones-ku5csb/
"The main difference between synthetic or synthesized hormones and bioidentical hormones is accuracy. Bioidentical hormones replicate the exact molecular structure of naturally produced hormones (estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, etc.), resulting in a hormone that functions far better than synthetic forms." Note that the FDA does not recognize the term bioidentical.
https://mitchellmed.com/synthetic-vs-bioidentical-hormone-replacement-therapy/#:~:text=The%20main%20difference%20between%20synthetic,far%20better%20than%20synthetic%20forms.