Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
For most women, menopause is a natural phenomenon that they experience during their 40s and 50s. But “natural” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s comfortable. The process can cause a litany of symptoms, both temporary and long-term, like hot flashes, mood changes, weight gain, increased risk of osteoporosis and more. For this…
Breast Cancer, HRT Women with a prior hysterectomy given estrogen-only HRT (conjugated equine estrogen) had a 23% reduction in breast cancer diagnosis compared to those assigned placebo. The 10,000 women were followed for more than 16 years. This was reported at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) based on…
Before I hit menopause, I rarely—if ever—took prescription drugs. If I had a bad headache or cramps, I reached for the Advil. Extra-strength Tylenol got me through oral surgery. Claritin solved the issues of my occasional springtime allergies. But when I entered menopause at age 52, I was so overcome…
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which is used to treat the symptoms of menopause, may increase breast cancer risk dramatically. A new study that followed more than 100,000 women over 40 years found that women who took HRT (an estrogen and progestin pill) for about 5 years were nearly 3 times…
Leg ulcers/pressure sores are slow to heal. It seems that the estrogen in HRT might speed healing. Study from U of PA Medical Centre via Newsfix.ca
16 million women put up with moderate to severe hot flashes because the hormone therapy drugs offered have side effects that are worse than the benefits. 8 million more women find the hot flashes so incapacitating that they take the drugs available, even though the estrogen in the drugs has…
The news about hormone replacement therapy (HRT) that combines estrogen AND progestin is not good. In a newly released analysis of the ongoing Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study, the combined hormone therapy has an increased risk of breast cancer and not many benefits. This does NOT include HRT that has only…
The Canadian Medical Associate Journal published a report (March 18, 2013) about a study that indicates an increased risk of gallbladder surgery because of gallstones among women taking estrogen via pill. Interestingly, the risk decreases when the estrogen is taken via transdermal gel or patch. Dr. Bette Liu, on the…
