Women’s Health

How Does Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy Help Women?

  • Osteoporosis – The Women’s Health Initiative demonstrated that hormone replacement therapy is associated with a 35% reduction of hip fractures.
  • Cardiovascular Disease – Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is associated with significant reductions in cardiac events, as well as cardiovascular and total mortality when initiated at the proper time.
  • Cancer – HRT has been shown to reduce the risk of colon cancer by 37%.
  • Diabetes – Some studies have shown that HRT is associated with a reduction of new-onset diabetes mellitus by as much as 35%.
  • Urinary Tract Infections – Studies have demonstrated a 60% reduction in recurrent urinary tract infections and problems with the use of HRT.
  • Alzheimer’s Disease – Studies have demonstrated an 83% decreased risk of Alzheimer’s disease in those who have used HRT for a period of 10 years or more. In the lab, bioidentical estrogen or testosterone supplementation appears to slow the accumulation the proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

 

Why Do I Hear So Much Conflicting Information About Hormone Replacement Therapy?

Few topics in medicine have created more confusion for millions of women than the controversies and issues surrounding hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

I have provided a summary of the findings below:

1)      Conflicting studies relating to HRT and CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH: Some studies indicated that HRT use was associated with significant reductions in cardiac events. Other studies found an increased incidence in cardiac events associated with HRT.

Looking at the details of the conflicting studies, it is clear as to why there are differences. Substantial evidence supports the use of hormone replacement therapy for the primary prevention of atherosclerosis in women, but only if started during the early postmenopausal period and before the onset of atherosclerosis. Once atherosclerosis has already developed, HRT has no effect at reversing or treating the process.

The period of time when HRT is initiated (perimenopause vs. late postmenopause), largely explains the different outcomes from the Women’s Health Initiative compared to earlier studies.

The average age of women in the WHI was 63 years of age, 10-12 years post-menopause.

2)      Conflicting studies relating to HRT and CANCER. The Women’s Health Initiative study indicated that HRT use was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer and a decreased risk of colon cancer. Studies using bioidentical hormones have revealed either no increased risk or even a decreased risk of breast cancer.

The conclusion from these conflicting studies shows that synthetic hormones increase the risk of many diseases, particularly the synthetic progestin.

Safe and Effective Hormone Replacement Therapy:

Current treatment guidelines and recommendations for hormone replacement therapy have unfortunately confined its use to short-term symptom relief only, using the lowest dose possible. A better and more complete understanding of the seemingly conflicting evidence suggests that bioidentical hormone replacement therapy provides significant health benefits and disease protection for many women.