Fortunately, women are making their own decisions about taking hormones. Despite being ridiculed, patronized and frightened by misinformed doctors, women are saying “No,” to hormone drugs. The makers of HRT report that a third of the women given HRT prescriptions never fill them. Of those who do, nearly half stop when the promises of youth and freedom from the menopause disease are replaced by migraines, bleeding, mood swings and other nasty side effects.
When Karen Mulford, Tempe, was in her early 40s, she went to her doctor. He said she was starting perimenopause [the period six to 15 years before menopause when most symptoms might occur] and put her HRT. When she turned 50, the travel book author said she wondered where her body would be without the drugs. The doc said she should be on it for life. She left the office, stopped cold turkey and, for a year, had no side effects except her periods stopped indicating she had completed menopause. .
When she returned a year later, the doctor convinced her to go back
on a lower dose saying it would prevent the back hump formed by osteoporosis
her grandmother had. Mulford said her mother had taken estrogen and didn't
have one so it seemed to make sense. She added her mother had a much better
diet than her grandmother did and exercised; both of which prevent osteoporosis.
SWEAT spoke with dozens of women in their
late 40s to early 60s who said their doctors suggested they start on HRT
even though they had no physical problems. Many were told they would
suffer hot flashes, osteoporosis, physical signs of aging, mental problems
and heart attacks if they did not. Many said they ignored their doctors
and had none of the dire problems or even symptoms such as hot flashes.
A few who had problems usually admitted to poor diets, little or no exercise,
stressful jobs, more than a few glasses of alcohol daily and smoking.
For example, the American Heart Association has been recommending
HRT to prevent stroke and heart attacks. For a decade, scientists have
questioned this; especially when diet and exercise are even more effective
and the research on which this pro-hormone conclusion was based was questionable.
In
April of 2000, The Women's Health Initiative, a national study involving
more than 27,000 postmenopausal women, announced their findings that HRT
actually INCREASES the risk of heart attack, stroke and blood clots.
The Premarin insert plainly states:
“You may have heard that taking estrogen for long periods after menopause will keep your skin soft and supple and keep you feeling young. There is no evidence this is so and such long-term treatment may carry serious risks.”
In January of this year, a study of 46,355 postmenopausal women taking part in the Breast Cancer Detection Demonstration Project indicated that HRT substantially increases a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. The study, published in the Jan. 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggested that women who take a combination of the hormones estrogen and progestin face a higher risk of breast cancer than previously believed. Originally, progestin was added to estrogen because estrogen alone increases the risk of uterine cancer and it was erroneously believed the combination would decrease that risk.
Doctors are so misled because drug companies
play down the cancer risk by citing studies with few participants.
For example, when the 1995 Nurses Health Study revealed a dramatic increase
in breast cancer risk, the pharmaceutical companies barraged the media
with a Seattle study that supposedly showed no increase. The problem was
that while the Nurses Health Study was of 122,000 women, the Seattle was
only 1,000. For the increased cancer risk to be detected in such a small
group would have meant that the increase would have had to be more than
250 percent.
Because physicians receive all of their drug information from pharmaceutical companies with few reading their own journals, women need to educate themselves. Read, research and speak with other women. Over and over again, females in their 50s and 60s say it is the best time of their lives. They feel better and are happier than when they were younger. Maturing should be yet another exciting stage of life, not one that requires a drug that makes you more likely to develop cancer.(5)
Heartfelt thanks to Joan Westlake and S.W.E.A.T. Magazine for the permission
to re-print this article!
Further info can be read:
Another
look at HRT
Endnotes (by Sue Widemark)
1. Wyeth, the manufacturer of Premarin, claims in their ads, that there are nine million women on the medication!
2. The Pharmaceutical Company, Lilly, in their comparison study of Evista, a specific medication for osteoporosis, and HRT claim that in their research, HRT reduced the decline of bone density by only 16 percent, not exactly an astounding rate! Evista only reduced the loss of bone density by TWO PERCENT, and it had various side effects. Note: this information was in the 'full prescribing information' which is in PDF format and must be downloaded. www.evista.com
3. Progesterone Cream lowered my HDL (the 'good') Choresterol - although it did help the symptoms of menopause.
4. Black Cohosh totally removed my symptoms of menopause but caused uterine bleeding after I had taken it for a couple of months. Consulting an OB-GYN nurse practitioner, I found out that the cohosh causes uterine contractions, probably what caused my bleeding. When I ceased taking it, the bleeding stopped.
5. I am pretty convinced that menopause is just a stage we have to go through. I don't understand why it has to be uncomfortable (i.e. hot flashes, sweats etc) but then, in order to participate in one of God's greatest gifts, the bringing of a child into the world, this, too is quite uncomfortable. After having problems with the cohosh and the progesterone cream, I decided to grin and bear the symptoms without the help of any 'remedies', just as I did with natural childbirth years ago. I did however, continue eating TOFU nightly but because of the protein and other good benefits thereof. The symptoms raged on for a couple of months and then, along with my period, they disappeared completely and I felt well now, at the age of 55! Unfortunately I started uterine bleeding a year later - in desperation, I began the Progesterone Cream twice a day. It stopped the bleeding and got me through menopause well. I still take it now. I no longer eat TOFU nightly however.