HRT Hype

This link goes to an HRT story not diet books

The link to worst diet books doesn't work.

"Anyone wants to do it" because if you go into premature menopause in your 20s, 30s and early 40s, there are health consequences to not having enough estrogen in your body. This is NOT about aging in this case, it's about health. Nutrition and exercise cannot fix this...it can HELP but cannot FIX it. Nutrition and exercise do not create estrogen. If you go through menopause at age 25, due to chemo or a hysterectomy that includes removal of your ovaries, your cardiac risk rises to about the same as a 50+ year old man. You have to have estrogen to protect your heart and your bones. This is a very personal decision. Hopefully you will have the info that you need should you find yourself in this position.

There is no mention of how breast cancers became more prolific after the introduction of rBGH. The growth hormone given to dairy cows. This is a link that is proven by scientific study. As far as taking hormone I don't really understand why anyone would do it. Our culture is so paranoid about aging that staying young under any circumstances, even risking our health, is preferable to the natural aging process. Also the natural aging process doesn't have to include ailments if one gets proper nutrition and remains active both mentally and physically.
The fact that the studies were halted due to increased rates of breast cancer and other life threatening conditions is enough for me. This article seems like a way for the producers of HRT to continue to push their product.

Only Premarin/Prempro use conjugated equine estrogen.....others do not...and there are MANY more options than Prempro/Premarin. Don't make the mistake of thinking that all HRT comes from mare urine. Most on the market today (and used today) do not!!

Women need to weigh all pros and cons for themselves. The WHI study was done with Prempro which is a combination made with SYNTHETIC progesterone. I have seen discussions that ponder if the progestin was the "problem". I believe that at the time of the study, Premarin was the most prescribed pharmaceutical in the US. Make no mistake, most of the studies are funded by these companies who want to add to their wealth. One hundred years ago, women need not have worried as the average life expectancy was not even fifty years old. I for one do not plan on living half my life without hormones. I will not accept the physical and ( yes ) mental decline that accompanies the fall in hormones. I know they are not "fountains of youth" but I know the joint pain, osteoporosis and mental decline are not things I am willing to accept. Everyone's risk/benefit ratio differs.

I was on HRT for 22 years. (Prempro). Maybe 23. Tried to get off after the study that showed women on HRT were developing breast. After giving up Prempro, I had extreme hot flashes, esp. at night. Had severe brain fog. Stumbled through days on the job, barely making it due to only 2 - 3 hours of sleep a night. After three months I returned to Prempro with my doctor's blessing. He gave me the smallest dose possible. I took a pill every 2 - 3 days, not every day. All symptoms disappeared and stayed away.

Not all estrogen therapy comes from horses, and yours probably shouldn't either. One doctor told me that cancer-causing property of hormone therapy had been traced to using horse hormones. A gynecologist told me point-blank that the HRT scare was a pharmaceutical industry tactic to promote expensive bone-loss therapy drugs (HRT is cheap and mostly generic). I'm not in a position to assess those statements, but it shows me how little agreement there is in the medical community about this. What I do know is how much misery symptomatic menopause can cause women, and I'd need to see more consensus than there is now to give it up.

I went into early menopause at 41 due to years of chemotherapy. I have been on HRT since 1997-- A VERY long time. I have had many discussions with several doctors over these years about discontinuing HRT and even made multiple attempts to discontinue it. However, it is known that due to all the chemo, my body no longer makes ANY extrogen and when I go off the drug, I cannot function mentally cognitive issues and extreme fatigue. In short, without HRT, I cannot function. I think it is important to point out that some of us MUST have HRT if our bodies no longer produce ANY estrogen. I am one of those, though I would love to discontinue it. An indepth discussion with your doctor about what works best for YOU is what matters in the decision. If you cannot have such a discussioon with your doctor, find another.

Not every form of HRT is good for every patient. Those of us who have experienced menopause early or prematurely (in our 30s and early 40s) have DIFFERENT reasons to take HRT....we need the estrogen in our bodies to protect against heart disease (number one killer of women) and also to ward against osteoporosis. Estrogen impacts over 400 systems/functions of the female body. Symptom relief is a secondary concern for us. My Dr was very clear, I will be on HRT for 5 years max, so long as I tolerate it well. That will get me closer to a normal menopause age (5 years out for me will be 48). At a size 6, with a healthy diet and moderate exercise, my cholesterol had already gotten into the danger zone before HRT. I am taking bioidentical estrogen transdermally and bioidentical progesterone. Please do not judge everyone. It IS a complicated, complex decision. I am lucky to have a doctor who gave me all the facts and had an indepth discussion with me. My annual mammograms had been occurring since age 40 and now I'm getting an ultrasound as well. I feel much, much better and hope for the best.

As a hot flash sufferer for 10 years due to early menopause from breast cancer and protocol drug therapy I have never found a solution to hot flashes other than fanning. So I re-invented the hand held fan for the modern woman. I don't understand why doctors and industry professionals like you don't tell their patients to simply fan. It's safe, natural, and really works instantly. There's even scientific proof that fanning works! Why not at least mention fanning to your patients??? If you're interested www.flashinfannye.com. My loyal followers have truly gotten relief and are never without a fan!

As a hot flash sufferer for 10 years due to early menopause from breast cancer and protocol drug therapy I have never found a solution to hot flashes other than fanning. So I re-invented the hand held fan for the modern woman. I don't understand why doctors and industry professionals like you don't tell their patients to simply fan. It's safe, natural, and really works instantly. There's even scientific proof that fanning works! Why not at least mention fanning to your patients??? If you're interested www.flashinfannye.com. My loyal followers have truly gotten relief and are never without a fan!

Since being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 and learning that the cancer was hormone receptive (in other words, caused directly by HRT (Premarin 1.25 mg daily for 24 year usage), I would lnot recommend this particular hormone to anyone. I would instead seek a hormorn therapy that is far healthier than horse hormone. There are many offerred now besides that particular one as well as natural hormone in Soy Milk. Believe me you do NOT want to even go through the cancer treatment. First off, no one knows exactly how the actual treatment will go for you as an individual, since each treatment is individualized for the type of cancer and because we are all unique in our reactions and it's ALL fairly brutal...involving needle inserted dyes and other procedures, surgery, radiation, and/or chemo depending on type and stage.
Get yearly mammograms without fail (one of them gave me a very early stage discovery thank God!) and be very discerning about the type of hormone replacement therapy that is right for you.

Women don't have to take premarin [ the horse hormone.] Have your blood drawn to measure what you are deficient in. Then your dr. can have what you need compounded, so you get ONLY what you need, no more. A little more expensive, but safer. Of course, get that yearly mammogram. Still, the more information out there, the better. Grill your provider to find out if they are knowledgeable about compounding. Some nurse practiioners, who specialize in women's issues, are also educated about this.

I agree with the authors and think they did a nice job of pointing out the problematic nature of these decisions. And, as someone who has suffered with horrible hot flashes that interfere with sleep and result in needing to change absolutely drenched sheets several times a night I can tell you that the decision to take hormones is not so simple and not about "the money" for me.

Not to mention the torture the horses go through...google it...it's awful. Why would anyone think that taking horse hormones is a good idea is beyond me. The cruelty that drug companies get away with in the name of 'science' (ergo MONEY) disgusts me.

I was one of the fortunate women who had absolutely no menopause "symptoms," no hot flashes, no dry skin, no mood swings, no insomnia, nothing at all. If I had developed any of them, I would have never even considered taking hormones. I have always believed in a natural lifestyle, perhaps that's why I never experienced anything unusual in the first place. Nature has her own schedule. There is a time for hormones to dwindle. Replacing them with horse urine-based potions is just about the most unnatural of "remedies." It is simply a profitable business. I'm glad many women have opted out of this questionable, at best, "treatment."