Is Hormone Replacement Therapy Safe?
Recent Research Shows Hormone Replacement Therapy is Safe
Many people are afraid of hormone replacement therapy based on a wealth of bad and outdated information about HRT that they find online. But we all know that you can’t trust everything you read online, right? Most of the misinformation about hormone replacement therapy can be traced back to a single, very old, flawed report that was conducted decades ago in the early days of HRT.
Of course, the media had a field day with the data in this sensational study – as they always do – leading to an unjustified fear of hormone therapy. As result, many female patients – and even many “traditional” doctors who have not keep up with the latest research – are misinformed about the recent research on the safety of hormone replacement therapy.
So, if there is untrue info on the Internet about HRT, who does one believe? As always, patients should look at recent scientific research conducted by reputable medical organizations. In this article, the hormone replacement therapy experts at Prosperity Health in Royal Oak, MI review this research to help set the record straight about the safety of modern HRT modalities.
How Hormone Replacement Therapy Got a Bad Reputation
An excellent article published in the National Library of Medicine / National Institutes of Health explains that the first clinical studies on hormone replacement therapy were conducted in America decades ago in the late 1990s. In 2002 these studies were summarized in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), which wrongly claimed that hormone replacement therapy had more detrimental effects than benefits.
Of course, the media jumped on this with wide spread negatively publicity at the time, and unfortunately the once very popular use of hormone replacement therapy dropped off significantly.
However, in subsequent years, scientists re-analyzed the clinical data and newer research was performed. And this information clearly shows that use of HRT in younger women or in early postmenopausal women has beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system, reducing heart disease in addition to lowering women’s death rate from all causes.
However, the damage had already been done by the sensational media coverage – and hormone replacement therapy was saddled with a dangerous reputation that many misinformed patients and doctors still erroneously believe in the present day!
Why New Hormone Replacement Therapy is Safe
Originally, hormone replacement therapy was manufactured using synthetic hormones that were created in a lab. However, anything that is as molecularly complex as human hormones simply cannot be identically duplicated in a laboratory. In recent years, though, the use of bioidentical hormones – derived from 100% natural plant sources – have changed the HRT game completely.
While, unfortunately, some less-up-to-date physicians still prescribe synthetic hormones – modern, holistic experts, like those at Prosperity Health in Royal Oak, MI, offer safe and natural bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) replicates the molecular structure of the hormones produced by the body exactly, because they are naturally derived. This makes them much more effective than synthetics. And they are also safer than synthetics. In fact, BHRT is free of many of the dangerous side effects of lab created hormones.
Research on the Safety of Hormone Replacement Therapy
Medical research studies on the safety and the benefits of hormone replacement therapy are continually being conducted. And a continuously growing body of scientific evidence has revealed that bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is safe for use to alleviate the symptoms of menopause, and to help prevent many life-threatening diseases in women and men.
Recent research has shown that BHRT not only helps improve mood, energy, sex drive and sexual enjoyment, but can also help women and men reduce the risk of osteoporosis, cardiac disease, type 2 diabetes, and death from all causes.
Hormone Replacement Therapy Safety in Women
The studies from the late 1990s reported that estrogen supplements, when used alone, were associated with a higher risk of developing endometrial cancer. However, according to the report we mentioned above (published in the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health) research has shown that by reducing the dosage of estrogen while combining it with progesterone can actually reduce the risk of endometrial cancer.
In a recent WebMD article, Dr. Shelley R. Salpeter, professor of medicine at Stanford School of Medicine is quoted as saying: “We have evidence that hormone replacement therapy can prevent heart disease, hip fractures, and osteoporosis, and that it cuts the risk of developing diabetes by 30% in younger women.”
That article further reports that Doctor Salpeter and her associates found that hormone replacement therapy reduced heart attacks and cardiac deaths by an astounding 32% in women who were aged 60 or younger, and/or those who had been through menopause less than 10 years ago. In older female patients, HRT showed some correlation to an increase in cardiac events in the first year, but then began to reduce the risks of heart problems again after two years.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also recommends that HRT can be used to safely treat women who have severe menopausal symptoms. And, the renowned experts at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, The North American Menopause Society, and The Endocrine Society have all unequivocally stated that most healthy, menopausal women can safely use estrogen replacement therapy for the prevention of life-threatening bone-fractures due to the bone loss of osteoporosis.
Hormone Replacement Therapy Safety in Men
While hormone replacement therapy is often associated with women because of its menopausal benefits, BHRT can significantly improve health and quality of life for men, as well. Clinical evidence delivered at the 2008 annual meeting of The Endocrine Society reported that testosterone replacement therapy can help men reduce their risks of metabolic syndrome, heart attack, cardiac disease, type 2 diabetes, and death from all causes.
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of medical conditions that includes high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the belly, and elevated cholesterol levels. It increases a person’s risk for heart attack, stroke, and developing type 2 diabetes. According to two notable medical research studies, presented by the director of scientific affairs for Bayer Schering Pharma in Berlin, “Low T” levels in male patients were found to be associated with metabolic syndrome. However, the studies revealed that male patients who were given testosterone replacement therapy significantly reduced their risk factors for metabolic syndrome.
Male patients in the study who were given testosterone placement saw their “bad” cholesterol (LDL/ triglycerides) reduced by 1/3rd to 1/4th, while their “good” HDL cholesterol improved. The men treated with HRT also saw their body mass index decrease and they especially lost their belly fat, generally losing three or four inches off their waist and going down by 2 or 3 pant sizes.
According to research presented by the Institute for Community Medicine at Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University in Greifswald, Germany, replacing deficient testosterone levels in men can also reduce the overall risk of death. That impressive study followed 2,000 men (between the ages of 20 to 79 years old) for a full seven years. The resulting data revealed that the men with low testosterone had a more than twofold higher risk of death than men who achieved normal testosterone levels either naturally or through the administration of testosterone replacement therapy.
We would say that reducing the risk of death by more than half in a seven-year study, is certainly evidence that BHRT is not only safe but wise for men suffering from “Low T”!
Hormone Replacement Therapy | Royal Oak
For the right patients, at the right age, BHRT can be a safe, effective, and natural path to improved mental, physical, and sexual health. The most important step in understanding if hormone replacement therapy is right and safe for you is to talk to a physician like Dr. Hakim in Royal Oak, who is trained and specialized in modern bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.
Dr. Hakim at Prosperity Health in Royal Oak can determine if HRT may be a safe and beneficial part of your individualized healthcare plan, based on comprehensive blood work, your age, lifestyle, overall health, and any risk factors you may have. She offers BioTe bioidentical hormone replacement pellets for the safest, most consistent, 100% natural, and easiest-to-use form of hormone replacement. There are NO daily pills, messy creams or painful shots – and a single, in-office, time-released pellet insertion provides relief from menopause symptoms and protection from disease for 3 to 6 months!
If you live in the greater Royal Oak area, schedule a hormone replacement therapy consultation at Prosperity Health to see if BioTe BHRT is right for you!
Royal Oak Hormone Replacement Therapy Consultation: 248.997.4242
DISCLAIMER: This article is provided as general information only and is not intended to be used as medical advice. The benefits of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are well documented through clinical research. However, Prosperity Health is not representing that hormone replacement therapy is a treatment or cure for any disease. Nor is HRT right for every patient. Only your physician can determine if hormone replacement therapy may be an appropriate part of your personal healthcare plan, based on your age, overall health, risk factors, and lifestyle.
