The Danger of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
It has been suspected for quite some time that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) not only does not benefit women with hormone deficiencies, but also may in fact cause negative results in those women HRT was meant to treat.
It is conventional medical practice, that a woman over 50, showing any menopause like symptoms, should immediately be put on HRT. In fact, most women's hormone levels aren't even measured before they are started on HRT to determine which hormones they are deficient in, nor by how much. The mindset has typically been one-dose-fits-all. Furthermore, the effectiveness of natural progesterone in hormone replacement has been ignored in favor of the more profitable synthetics known as progestins.
Natural progesterone USP, structurally identical in molecular makeup to the progesterone produced by the human body, is found growing naturally in a plant and is easily recovered from this plant through several steps. Since natural progesterone is found in nature, pharmaceutical companies cannot patent the exact molecular structure of progesterone. Because of this, pharmaceutical companies cannot make any money with natural progesterone, so they have to alter the molecular makeup so that they can patent it and sell it. The problem with this approach is that it's no longer progesterone. It is a synthetic compound alien to the human body!
The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) began a study on the effects of HRT which involved over 16,000 women aged 50 to 79. They had to cancel the study because they found that those using HRT after five years had a 29 percent higher probability of developing breast cancer, a 26 percent higher risk of heart disease, and a 41 percent higher probability of having a stroke.
This doesn't even consider those women who complained of:
- Weight gain
- Blood clots
- Lower sex drives
- Low thyroid
- Headaches
- Gallbladder disease
- Insomnia
- Depression
- Fatigue
The above list is by no means comprehensive; Dr. John Lee indicates that there are many other side effects. Many are identical to the very symptoms that HRT is trying to relieve. Dr. Lee also indicates that natural progesterone has no reported side effects and that you cannot overdose like you can when using progestins.
The best way to determine if you have a hormone deficiency is through a saliva test. Once this test has been completed you will know which hormones you are deficient in and by how much.
A woman currently on HRT should seek a doctor's advice about discontinuing use. If your doctor does not condone natural progesterone, think about finding another doctor that does.
Dr. Lee indicates that women on PremPro should lower their dose of estrogen and replace the progestin with natural progesterone cream. This will mean discontinuing use of PremPro completely, and getting a separate prescription for estrogen. Natural progesterone cream can be purchased without a prescription.
Many doctors will indicate that natural progesterone is not as effective as progestins. This is mainly because the pharmaceutical companies have misinformed them. Some doctors believe that natural progesterone does not protect the uterus as well as progestins. However, a study by Helen Leonetti M.D. has proven that natural progesterone cream protects very well.