Hormone Replacement – Changing Opinions

by Linda Franklin

Women who are close to menopause face few dangers from hormone-replacement therapy, and the benefits may outweigh the risks for those who are suffering from severe symptoms.

Finally something that makes sense is coming out.  A consensus of new analyses clarifying a decade of research since a big government study scared millions of women and their doctors away from using hormone therapy at menopause.

The Women’s Health Initiative—was halted in July, 2002, three years early, when researchers noticed an unexpectedly high rate of breast cancer and heart disease among women taking a popular brand of estrogen and progestin hormones women typically lose in menopause.

The original study wasn’t intended to assess the pros and cons of HT, but to explore whether giving hormones to older women would prevent heart disease, according to WHI researchers. Some 70% of women in the study were over age 60, an average 12 years past menopause. Younger HT users, suffering from hot flashes and other symptoms, were largely excluded.

“My menopausal patients were hysterical. They were calling saying, ‘I’m going to die!’ But this study really didn’t apply to them,” says Mary Jane Minkin, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Yale School of Medicine.

In 2002, 40 percent of post postmenopausal women in the U.S. using hormone therapy, today it is 20%.

Analyses that came out over the past decade showed that women 50 to 59 who started HT near menopause had fewer cardiovascular problems—and fewer deaths from any cause—than those who started years later. Another branch of the study showed that women who took estrogen only also had a lower risk of heart disease and breast cancer.

To see the what the latest research says about when women should consider taking hormone therapy check out this article.

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says,”there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

Breast Cancer Update – The Bottom Line

I have received so many emails and telephone calls from patients expressing concern over taking hormone replacement therapy.  This was after a new report was published in JAMA, “ Estrogen Plus Provera and Breast Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Postmenopausal Women”. 

The study drew much attention from just about every TV news broadcast station as well as major national newspapers.  The report was a further analysis of the Women’s Health Initiative ( WIH) randomized study of postmenopausal women taking Premarin plus Provera, Premarin alone or placebo. 

They found that after 11 years of followup, women taking Premarin and Provera had an increased risk compared to those taking placebo of invasive breast cancer (0.42% vs 0.34% per year) and death attributable to breast cancer (0.026% vs 0.013%).   This is actually about one more invasive breast cancer per 1,000 women per year and a little over one more death per 10,000 women per year. 

This adds fuel to the fire—that women should only consider HRT for severe, unbearable symptoms only for the shortest period of time or better yet don’t take HRT at all.  Again, all HRT is lumped into the same category ignoring the fact that not all hormones are equal.