The conventional western approach to menopause says that the symptoms of menopause are due to a deficiency of estrogen. Therefore, conventional hormone replacement therapy (HRT) involves replacing your natural hormones with high doses of synthetic estrogen. Unfortunately, most of these synthetic hormones are derived from horse urine (called conjugated equine estrogens). This should immediately throw up a red flag. It was once believed that these synthetic hormones would confer the same benefits as natural (human) hormones–a healthy heart, strong bones, vitality, supple skin, pain-free joints and a healthy sex life. Recent studies have shown that this is not the case, and in fact, conventional HRT may be doing more harm than good.
Over the past decade, many popularized studies including the HERS/HERS II, Women’s Health Initiative Study and others published in peer reviewed medical journals (including the Journal of the American Medical Association and the New England Journal of Medicine), have shown that the long-term risks associated with HRT use include:
- Invasive breast cancer
- Ovarian cancer
- Endometrial cancer
- Endometriosis
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Blood clots
- Insulin resistance
- Type II diabetes
- Adult onset asthma
- Abdominal bloating
- Migraines & other types of headaches
- Weight gain
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Breast tenderness
Why So Many Adverse Effects?
To better understand why there are so many adverse side effects associated with HRT drugs, let’s take a look at two of the most widely prescribed drugs – Premarin® and Prempro®.
Premarin®
The name Premarin® is an abbreviation for PREgnant MAres uRINe. These drugs are made from the urine of pregnant female horses – they are horse estrogens. Many drug companies and medical doctors are even touting these as the only true natural hormones because they come from horses – they are natural for horses NOT humans!
And this is where the problems start – our bodies are not fit to deal with horse estrogens or anything remotely resembling them. Just look at a horse and it should be obvious that we are not alike in many ways. These horse estrogens are stronger, have a longer lasting effect in the human body and are harder for the body to eliminate than the body’s own natural estrogens. This causes over-stimulation of estrogen sensitive tissues (including the breasts, uterus, ovaries and blood vessels) and creates imbalance in the endocrine system (leading to imbalances with blood sugar, electrolyte balance, etc.).
In addition, when the body breaks these unnatural estrogen compounds down, many of them turn into potentially carcinogenic (cancer causing) end products. These “side effects” are known. The official Premarin® label states that it is known that post-menopausal women that take this drug for more than one year have up to 14 times (that’s a 1400% increase) greater risk of developing endometrial cancer than women that do not take the drug. And, although Premarin® is effective at relieving hot flashes and vaginal dryness, it actually increases the risk of coronary artery disease and dementia with use.
All in all, the risks associated with Premarin® and similar medications may far outweigh the benefits, especially when there are many natural approaches that can be used to alleviate the most common symptoms for which Premarin is prescribed.
Prempro®
Prempro® or medroxyprogesterone, is a synthetic form of progesterone, often referred to as progestin. Studies show that the addition of a progestin for 10 or more days of a cycle of synthetic estrogen administration have reported a lowered incidence of endometrial cancer than would be induced by estrogen treatment alone. However, just because you can use one drug to offset some of the dangers of another does not mean that drug is beneficial; in this case, it certainly is not.
There are significant risks associated with the use of progestins in estrogen replacement regimens. Again, the problems stem from the fact that progestins are not progesterone (the body’s natural hormone) – no matter how much people misuse or misunderstand this, it remains a fact – progestins are not natural and the body doesn’t process or use them as it does natural progesterone. This leads to a number of serious side effects including:
- Adverse effects on lipoprotein metabolism (including cholesterol & triglycerides) and increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Increased risk of developing dementia
- Impairment of glucose metabolism; this is especially important for diabetics or those with diabetic tendencies as well as those trying to lose weight
- Increased risk of invasive breast cancer
- Increased breast tenderness, weight gain, depression and breakthrough bleeding
Knowing more about these drugs and their origin gives you a much better understanding as to why they have such dramatic and adverse reactions in the human body.
There IS a Better Way!
Many women stop taking these drugs because the side effects are worse than the symptoms from which they sought relief in the first place. Many women are also concerned about the long-term dangers of taking oral contraceptives and HRT. Luckily, there are many natural ways to manage the underlying imbalances that are causing these unpleasant symptoms; please contact us for more information.