Would you be comfortable taking a drug that was pre-scribed to you for menopausal symptoms for only a five year period knowing that if taken longer, it would substantially increase your risk for cardiovascular and cerbrovas- cular disease not to mention breast cancer and blood clots? What would happen to your symptoms after 5 years when you stop the medication? What is being depleted in the body to cause such symptoms and are there safer alternatives?

Numerous articles have been published about HRT (hormone replacement therapy) since the 1990’s when a large study called the Women’s Healthcare Initiative (WHI) was prematurely stopped due to the negative outcomes associated with the use of synthetic hormones Prempro (combination of oral conjugated estrogen and oral medroxyprogesterone acetate) and Premarin (oral conjugated estrogen). Unfortunately, after the study the press had grouped all hormones to be alike - synthetic and bio- identical hormones making the public at large believe all hormones were associated with the same negative outcomes studied in the WHI: Premarin and Prempro (synthetic hormones). This conclusion is simply not true. Let me explain...

Fundamental Principles

Synthetic vs. Bio-Identical Hormones: Bio-Identical Hormones are usually derived from plant sources and their chemical structure is biologically identical to the hormones we have in our bodies. The incidence of having a reaction from these Bio-identical Hormones is extremely low or non-existent due to their identical chemical makeup that we have in our own bodies. However, this is unlike their synthetic counterparts the most common being Premarin & Prempro. Premarin (synthetic oral conjugated estrogen) which is routinely prescribed to combat the symptoms of menopause is derived from a pregnant horse’s urine. Premarin is associated with unfavorable side effects to include an increased incidence in breast cancer. Prempro is also derived from a pregnant horses’ urine and combined with progestin which is the most commonly prescribed form of combined HRT that has been shown to be unsafe over the medium term (5 years) in the WHI trial substantially increasing one’s risk of cardiovascular and cerbrovascular disease, breast and uterine cancer and blood clots.

On the other hand bio-identical progesterone unlike progestin has been demonstrated in hundreds of medical journals to have positive natural influences on the body such as: synergy with Estradiol. Progesterone protects the uterine lining from overgrowth/ carcinogenesis caused by estrogen. Progesterone has favorable cardiovascular effects, anti-inflammatory, natural diuretic and bone protection. Bio-Identical Estradiol also has positive cardiac effects to include: vasodilatation, reduction of vascular proliferation and inflammatory response and decreased sympathetic activity which is imperative to maintaining a healthy heart considering cardiovascular disease is the number cause of death in women.

Delivery Method

The preferred method of delivery for any type of medication is to maintain an even homeostatic level (constant level with no high peaks and lows) constantly with the least amount of medication ingested by the body to receive the desired therapeutic effect. In the case of hormone replacement therapy the number one preferred replacement is bio-identical hormones due to the positive effects they create on the body and the superior method of delivery is pellet therapy. Bio-identical Hormone Pellet therapy is simply bio-identical hormones placed in the body underneath the skin allowing the body to consume the hormones as needed. The delivery of hormone therapy is constant and the hormones placed under the skin are 100% bio-identical and absorbed by the body. The pellet therapy works in conjunction with your own body and does not shut down the ability of your own body to produce hormones. The other benefits of pellet therapy are the amount of hormone dosage placed is specifically catered to the individuals’ size, symptoms and hormone levels – everyone does not receive the same dose. The amount of dosage with pellet therapy is designed to give the best therapeutic effect while using the least amount of bio-identical hormone replacement. On the other hand, Premrin and Prempro which have set dosaging and not tailored to the individual’s needs for replacement and are ingested orally. The synthetic hormone(s) must undergo extensive processing - first passing through the stomach and then metabolizing in the liver prior to having any desired effect. The concentration that is swallowed with the synthetic hormones is ten times the concentration neces- sary to obtain enough hormone for the targeted organ compounding the possibility of reactions and side effects.

Conclusion

Although, the synthetic hormones Premarin and Prempro relieve menopausal symptoms, it is with what cost to one’s health? It is without doubt that after five years of being placed on these medications they should be stopped – due the clinical data