The Women’s Health Initiative data is flawed, and women have suffered needlessly because of it. HRT can be safe for most women, spread the word.
For women at the end of Perimenopause and the Beginning of Menopause, HRT is typically safe.
When I entered perimenopause around age 46-47, I was moody, suicidal, having hot flashes and just depressed. When my doctor suggested Hormone Replacement Therapy or HRT, I recoiled, gasped and said: “I don’t want breast cancer, so HELL NO to that.” Like many women of my Generation X age, we had heard the media telling us that the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) found a 25% increase in breast cancer from taking HRT in the early 00’s. The media played a huge role in sounding the alarm, and that’s how I learned about the supposed link between HRT and breast cancer. But the devil is in the details and the results from the WHI said HRT increased breast cancer, it was outside of what they were researching. The study had women from a wide age range: 50-78. That is a huge variance in aging and the complications of age within that group. The study was actually halted. Since then, research has determined that bioidentical, plant based estrogen that mimics Estrogen 2 (the good kind), is safe. Also, later studies proved that it’s beneficial for women at the tail end of perimenopause - early menopause to take HRT without an increase in breast cancer. After either a certain age or a certain amount of time a woman is in menopause, her chances of estrogen causing cancer start going up and a good doctor will help a woman navigate using HRT safely.
Dr. Mary Claire Haver is the one who convinced me to talk to my doctor. I saw her on a podcast called ‘Diary of a CEO,’ where she had flat out said, that it’s better for you to take it for a some certain amount of years than not. The benefits are potent. Like staving off osteoporosis, reducing inflammation, allowing an aging body to hold on to muscle better and muscle tone (including vaginally), keeping a woman’s vagina well lubricated, and reducing hot flashes. There are also heart protections and it can help keep blood pressure under control which menopause can spike. She also points out that the “increase in breast cancer” that was reported, which sent women running away from HRT in the early 00’s, was that 5 women out of 1,000 got breast cancer, instead of 4. That was the 25"% increase. While it’s still true that it’s a 25% increase, that’s only a 0.005 chance of getting breast cancer for HRT. It’s still extremely low. The media sounded the alarm for the equivalent of a metal trash bin fire in a large parking lot (no threat). That podcast episode changed my life. I immediately booked an appointment with my OB/GYN and changed my health for the next 20 years or so. If you are still remembering the WHI report in the early 00’s, perhaps it’s time for you to do your own homework? I made it easy. Here are some links, including the link to Dr. Haver’s interview. It’s a good watch. She will share things with you that will make your blood boil as a woman, and I hope this podcast on YouTube will improve your life as it did mine. HRT is still a concern for some groups, which is why talking about your health history, family/genetic health history and risks with a quality doctor can help you determine if it’s something for you.
Dr. Mary Claire Haver interview by the YouTube Channel: Diary of a CEO:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQqcnYcKx68
National Library of Medicine:
Published in the Journal Medicina, Sept. 18, 2019, doi:10.390/Medicina55090602
The Controversial History of the Hormone Replacement Therapy, Cagnacci, Venier
http://www.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6780820