As a woman approaches the end of her childbearing years, the level of reproductive hormones her body produces begin to fluctuate. This transition can lead to uncomfortable symptoms and affect quality of life.
This flawed study came out in 2002 that reported a woman who took a type of estrogen and synthetic progestin for more than five years could have an increased risk for heart disease, stroke and breast cancer and it caused a huge bit of concern. (Myself included until I started to dive deeper and learn more- yes we can change our minds on things 😉). But there’s way more to it. The study has now been reevaluated. First, the study focused on women over 60 only, the media really misrepresented the data, and they didn’t even use bioidentical hormones. There are literally zero studies that can correlate bioidentical hormones with cancer. Bioidentical hormone therapy has been a game changer for alot of my patients - and unlike synthetic hormones, they are made to mimic your body’s natural hormones. In fact, the latest research actually says for women under age 60, NOT taking HRT (and I’m talking about early menopausal women here), can increase the risk of developing heart disease and osteoporosis. And progesterone is actually very protective against cancer. Imagine that. Those 3 letter agencies sure know how to steer us in the right direction, don’t they?
I do want to say, however, that lifestyle strategies DO work and should be done first. Focusing on proper sleep, nutrition, exercise and stress management (ie: the foundations) will minimize all those problematic symptoms like hot flashes and weight gain. BUT for the right person, HRT can truly be life changing. That isn’t to say there are ZERO risks either. We must also take into consideration thyroid function, liver health, and gut health also.
You should always have an informed discussion with your provider who knows your medical history and hormone status. I have been doing bioidentical HRT- so if you think this could benefit you- I’d love to have a discussion! ❤️🌸
