Hormone Replacement Therapy and Estrogen
Is HRT Safe For Menopausal Women? Find Out What's Right For You.
Flip through any newspaper and you might read another alarming article about the dangers of hormone replacement therapy. Dig a little deeper however, to reveal fact vs. fiction.
The uproar began in July 2003 when the The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) during the largest government study on synthetic hormones ever conducted, halted their research after early results indicated that women using conventional hormone replacement therapy (specifically PremPro), had a much higher risk of invasive breast cancer, heart disease and stroke.
Critics of The Largest Hormone Replacement Therapy Study
Critics of the study point out that the WHI study was NOT representative of women in their 40's and 50's, women who were likely in the early years of peri or full menopause. In fact the average age of the women involved in the study was 63 with an average time into menopause of 12 years, and therefore more likely to have other risks related to breast cancer, heart disease and stroke.
Estrogen plays an important role in your body. It's responsible for puberty changes in girls such as menstruation, and the development of breasts and hips. In adult women estrogen contributes to the softness of the skin and to vaginal lubrication, it helps maintain bone density, and plays a crucial role in brain function. In men, estrogen serves to assist the function of testosterone and can also influence bone density and cognitive functioning.
Estrogen however, is a double-edged sword hormone. Too much of it without the balancing effects of its bedfellow progesterone, or the wrong kind of estrogen, and it can indeed, be harmful.
When Estrogen Can Be Dangerous
Too Much Estrogen: Estrogen Dominance. Dr. John Lee, pioneer in natural women’s health and author of “Hormone Balance Made Simple,” coined the phrase “estrogen dominance” to describe what happens when the ratio of estrogen to progesterone is changed by excess estrogen or inadequate progesterone .
Ten to fifteen years before menopause, a woman may actually produce enough estrogen, but not make enough progesterone, which puts her into estrogen dominance. Over a long period of time too much estrogen may put her health in danger.
Estrogen dominance is known to cause and/or contribute to:
- Cancer of the breast, ovary, endometrium and prostate (men).
- PMS, mood changes, anxiety, irritability
- Menopausal symptoms
- Weight gain
- Bloating
- Mood swings
- Tender breasts
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Hypoglycemia
- Uterine fibroids
- Endometriosis
- Fibrocystic breasts.
**Dr. Lee advises women to use bioidentical hormones. Synthetic estrogen and progesterone hormones hormones like PremPro (combines Premarin and Provera) do not act the same in your body as bioidentical and can cause unwanted side effects or risks.
Artificial Substances that Mimic Estrogen. In addition to estrogen dominance, there is a growing concern regarding Xenoestrogens , a foreign man-made estrogen that can have toxic effects on the human body. These are found in most pesticides, plastics, acetones (e.g. nail polish remover) and in industrial pollutants such as PCBs. They can be very potent and toxic and unlike natural hormones (bioidentical) they are not efficiently cleared from the body so they tend to accumulate in the tissue over time. Even coffee can increase estrogen in the body.
How Do I Decide If Hormone Replacement Therapy Is Right For Me?
Your decision regarding hormone replacement therapy should be based on clear and accurate research information, your age, health history, lifestyle, menopausal symptoms, and your individual concerns.
- Read Between the Research Lines. Don't let the WHI study scare you away from considering HRT if you're suffering from peri or menopausal symptoms. Discuss the implications of the WHI results with your doctor.
- Get Hormone Levels Checked. If you do decide to try hormone replacement therapy,measure your hormone levels first (saliva tests are more accurate than blood).
- Only Consult with Experts. Only consult with a physician who is extensively trained in natural and conventional hormone replacement therapy (preferably an Ob & Gyn or endocrinologist), and who is up to date on all the research.
- Consider Bioidenticals. Consider using natural/bioidentical HRT instead of conventional or synthetic hormones.
Dr. Jannet Huang, an endocrinologist and menopause clinician, offers this advice for women who are considering hormone replacement therapy, "Each individual woman needs to carefully evaluate the pros and cons of HT (hormone therapy) in her own particular context, making her best informed decision taking into account her own symptomatology, risk factors and philosophies. And if she does wish to take HT, then the preparation with the most efficacy and tolerability should be found for her as an individual, under the guidance and appropriate monitoring of a clinician with expertise in menopausal management. "
