The Women’s Health Initiative
In 1996, The Women’s Health Initiative began to asses the risks and benefits of conventional hormone replacement therapy. This was a major study involving 16,608 women in 40 large medical centers located in the . This landmark study was supposed to last 8.5 years but it was cut short at 5.2 years because the risks of synthetic conventional hormones far outweighed the benefits. Half of the women received Prempro which is a combination of Premarin (synthetic estrogen) and Provera (synthetic progesterone) and the other half received a placebo. The researchers looked at outcomes for breast cancer, hip fracture, endometrial cancer, colon cancer, heart disease, stroke and pulmonary embolism. Let’s start with the good that was found in the study:
- 37% decrease in colon cancer
- 21% decrease in fractures due to osteoporosis.
Now for the bad news:
- 26% increase in breast cancer.
- 41% increase in stroke.
- 29% increase in cardiovascular disease.
- 2,100% increase in pulmonary embolism (lung blood clots).
- 205% increase in Alzheimer’s disease.
The saddest fact is that none of this was new information regarding synthetic conventional hormones. Many previous studies had shown the same increased risks. Synthetic hormones are not naturally occurring, not recognized by the body and have been proven to be unsafe. Natural hormones are a safe and effective alternative to synthetic hormones.
Natural hormones are the exact hormone that is produced by the body without the side effects. Before commencing any type of hormone therapy it is important to have your hormone levels tested so we know exactly what you need. Testing allows us to be precise and follow-up testing can ensure a correct dose. Many women are put on hormones without proper laboratory testing which can result in hormone overload and imbalance if the levels of the prescribed hormone are either normal or elevated prior to therapy. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to dump a hormone into a woman’s body if she doesn’t need it and is making enough naturally.
Natural hormone replacement can help to ease the symptoms of peri-menopause and menopause. Hot flashes, sleeplessness, decreased sex drive, weight gain, moodiness, dryness and fatigue are some of the symptoms women experience when going through menopause which can be lessened by natural hormone replacement. Sometimes the solution can be as simple as a low dose of a hormone such as progesterone to balance the rest of the system. Every woman should know that there are safe and effective options if hormone replacement is required.