Menopause - HRT
There's a firestorm of controversy about synthetic hormone replacement. Premarin, an estrogen replacement drug for menopausal women made from pregnant mare's urine, is one of the top selling drugs in the U.S. The threat of breast and uterine cancer is dramatically increased with HRT, and the risk increases as a woman ages.
In an action that received wide media attention, U.S. government scientists halted a July 2002 study on hormone replacement because it was such a threat to the participants health. Increased risk of invasive breast cancer, heart disease, stroke and pulmonary embolism (blood clots in the lungs) were all cited as reasons for halting the study.
The drugs being tested included Premarin, Prempro and Provera. Scientists have known since the late 1980s that HRT could increase the risk of breast cancer. Studies released in the last few years draw the connection between HRT and breast cancer itself. A 2000 study showed women taking HRT for just five years have a 40% greater risk of developing breast cancer. A recent study found that long-term HRT raises the odds of one of the most dangerous types of breast cancer as much as 85%. In more hopeful news, some research finds that the higher risk for breast cancer diminishes, even largely disappears when a woman is off HRT treatment for five years.
Drug companies and much of the medical community, for whom synthetic hormones are an incredibly profitable business, continue to justify the risks because of the perceived advantages to osteoporosis and estrogen management. Yet, the newest research reveals that benefits for these diseases are not validated over the long-term.
Does HRT really protect against menopausal heart disease?
Using hormone replacement therapy or HRT to protect against heart disease is highly debatable. There is no conclusive evidence that estrogen protects against heart disease.
A 1997 review concluded that the heart protective benefits attributed to estrogen may result from population selection bias or even changes towards healthier lifestyles during the studies. A more recent report shows that HRT does not help treat or prevent heart disease in menopausal women. In addition, HRT drugs can deplete folic acid, raising homocysteine levels -- a known risk factor for heart disease, and destroy vitamin E - a heart protective antioxidant. With its links to uterine and breast cancer, HRT should not be considered as a long-term preventive for heart disease. There are better solutions for preventing heart disease that don't carry these risks.
What's the HRT connection to osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis, long considered to be a woman's problem because of its female hormone involvement, affects from 35 to 50 percent of women in the first five years after menopause. HRT is still strongly promoted for osteoporosis prevention. Many menopausal women are so afraid of osteoporosis that with a little coaxing from their physicians they begin taking hormone drugs right away. Of those, about 60% discontinue the therapy because of side effects or fear of cancer!
There is no question that hormones are involved in bone-building and bone loss, but declining estrogen levels after menopause do not by themselves cause osteoporosis. Although some studies show estrogen inhibits bone cell death, the newest tests reveal that as many as 15% of women on estrogen therapy continue to lose bone mass! Moreover, estrogen isn't the only hormone involved in bone building.
The hormone, progesterone, actually increases bone density in clinical tests. Low androgen levels of DHEA and testosterone also play a role in bone loss, particularly in men's osteoporosis. Osteoporosis prevention is a program, not a pill. There are clear lifestyle factors that increase your risk of this devastating disease.
Are there environmental consequences with so many women on hrt drugs for menopause?
The latest studies show there may be. Studies on the Las Vegas high sewage wash reveal high levels of synthetic hormones from human urine in waters where male fish show signs of hormone disruption. In these waters, male carp produce the egg laying protein associated with females. It remains to be seen if HRT or birth control drugs are to blame. If it is, we have a huge problem on our hands. Billions of pounds of supposedly "treated" sewage is released in discharge waters where wildlife make their home!
Hormones, caffeine, antidepressants and painkillers have been found in streams all across the nation! More research is currently being done to determine the long-term effects of hormones from human urine on our environment.