Archive for September, 2008
Saturday, September 27th, 2008
John Russell asked:
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is an appropriate choice for some, but not all, women. On the benefit side, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) relieves hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and it may improve sleep, mood, and concentration. But there are also risks with hormone replacement therapy (HRT), including higher rates of breast cancer, stroke, blood clots in the legs and lungs, and (for older women) coronary heart disease. Moderate to severe symptoms, which affect about one in five newly menopausal women, are the only compelling reason to take hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
Evidence indicates that a woman’s age and time since menopause (on average at the age of 51 in the US), along with her personal health status, influence the risk-benefit balance. The best candidate for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a younger, recently menopausal woman, one whose final menstrual period occurred less than five years earlier, who isn’t at high risk of heart disease, stroke, or blood clots.
To minimize risks, take the lowest dose of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) needed to make your hot flashes or night sweats tolerable. Low-dose preparations often provide relief comparable to standard-dose preparations. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is best used for only 2-3 years and generally no more than 5 years. Hot flashes and night sweats often peak in the first few years after the final menstrual period and then taper off, so most women won’t need hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for long-term relief.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is not the only way to cool hot flashes. Layered clothing, portable fans, exercise, and paced respiration or other relaxation techniques can be very helpful, as can avoiding cigarettes, caffeine, alcohol, and spicy foods. Alternatives to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are soy, some botanicals, certain antidepressants, and the antiseizure medication gabapentin may be beneficial for some women. All women should try at least some of these strategies before considering hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has long been the medical standard, however, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is now questionable to side effects.
Please share the content of these articles with your friends, family and colleagues. Reprint rights granted. All reprints must include a link to www.ihdistribution.com. Content may not be altered and articles must be used as distributed by IH Distribution, LLC
Copyright © IH Distribution LLC 2004
Jayden
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is an appropriate choice for some, but not all, women. On the benefit side, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) relieves hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and it may improve sleep, mood, and concentration. But there are also risks with hormone replacement therapy (HRT), including higher rates of breast cancer, stroke, blood clots in the legs and lungs, and (for older women) coronary heart disease. Moderate to severe symptoms, which affect about one in five newly menopausal women, are the only compelling reason to take hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
Evidence indicates that a woman’s age and time since menopause (on average at the age of 51 in the US), along with her personal health status, influence the risk-benefit balance. The best candidate for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a younger, recently menopausal woman, one whose final menstrual period occurred less than five years earlier, who isn’t at high risk of heart disease, stroke, or blood clots.
To minimize risks, take the lowest dose of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) needed to make your hot flashes or night sweats tolerable. Low-dose preparations often provide relief comparable to standard-dose preparations. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is best used for only 2-3 years and generally no more than 5 years. Hot flashes and night sweats often peak in the first few years after the final menstrual period and then taper off, so most women won’t need hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for long-term relief.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is not the only way to cool hot flashes. Layered clothing, portable fans, exercise, and paced respiration or other relaxation techniques can be very helpful, as can avoiding cigarettes, caffeine, alcohol, and spicy foods. Alternatives to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are soy, some botanicals, certain antidepressants, and the antiseizure medication gabapentin may be beneficial for some women. All women should try at least some of these strategies before considering hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has long been the medical standard, however, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is now questionable to side effects.
Please share the content of these articles with your friends, family and colleagues. Reprint rights granted. All reprints must include a link to www.ihdistribution.com. Content may not be altered and articles must be used as distributed by IH Distribution, LLC
Copyright © IH Distribution LLC 2004
Jayden
How many woment in the world are on HRT?
Wednesday, September 24th, 2008I am in my late forties, had a complete hysterectomy, so I need to take HRT?
Sunday, September 21st, 2008What would be more elite? FBI SWAT/HRT Teams or the SEALs?
Saturday, September 20th, 2008MAB asked:
I have always wanted to be a SEAL but While in College Wondering about the FBI as Well. Does FBI SWAT/HRT get a lot of good missions as well?
Has nothing to do with me being “tarded” thr33, I know all about the SEALS and nothing about FBI so I have no idea the training or selection they go through. Insults don’t help out with questions a ** wipe.
Marie
I have always wanted to be a SEAL but While in College Wondering about the FBI as Well. Does FBI SWAT/HRT get a lot of good missions as well?
Has nothing to do with me being “tarded” thr33, I know all about the SEALS and nothing about FBI so I have no idea the training or selection they go through. Insults don’t help out with questions a ** wipe.
Marie
Tuesday, September 16th, 2008
Joe Bella asked:
The Postmenopausal Estrogen/Progestin Interventions (PEPI) Trial not only validated the beneficial effects of hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) on serum cholesterol, it also turned the spotlight on natural progesterone. That hormone appeared to be more effective than the synthetic progesterone medroxyprogesterone acetate, or MPA, (Provera) in preserving estrogen’s beneficial effects on the heart and was just as effective in preventing estrogen -induced overgrowth of the uterine lining.
Moreover, earlier studies had indicated that natural progesterone’s side effects are minor. Some women taking it experience some drowsiness, but they are spared many of the symptoms associated with MPA - fluid retention, breast tenderness, and depression.
Many people have asked why doctors aren’t suggesting natural progesterone as an option for HRT. The answer is that in the United States natural progesterone isn’t available through conventional channels, and it is a relatively untested entity. However, it has a long and intriguing history.
Scientists first purified progesterone in 1934, but they soon found that the hormone was broken down to an inactive form in the intestine before it could be absorbed. In the 1950s chemists bonded progesterone to other compounds, which provided safe passage through the digestive system. These new synthetic compounds came to be known as “progestins.”
Progestins such as MPA and norgestrel were patented by pharmaceutical companies, studied extensively in clinical trials, and approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in treating secondary amenorrhea, a condition in which premenopausal women who have had normal periods stop menstruating.
However, lower doses of progestins than those necessary to treat amenorrhea were found to eliminate endometrial overgrowth - a problem associated with postmenopausal estrogen use - and so progestins were added to HRT regimens. Yet the FDA hasn’t approved progestins specifically for HRT because there is little information on their long-term effects.
Researchers who continued to experiment with natural progesterone found that by pulverizing it into minute particles-a process called micronizationthey could make it absorbable in oral form. However, in early tests the oral preparation could not produce the sustained levels of progesterone necessary to stimulate menstruation. In the early 1980s researchers came up with a longer-lasting preparation - a gelatin capsule containing 200 mg of micronized progesterone suspended in oil.
A version of that product called Utrogestan, which is produced by the French pharmaceutical house Besins-Iscovesco, is now widely used for HRT in Mexico and Europe. Schering-Plough Corporation licensed micronized progesterone from LaSalle Laboratories, an affiliate of the French company, and supplied it in 200-mg capsules for the PEPI trial.
Schering plans to market that drug as Prometrium in the U.S., but doctors won’t be able to prescribe it for HRT until it is approved by the FDA for treating secondary amenorrhea, as many of the progestins were originally.
Richard
The Postmenopausal Estrogen/Progestin Interventions (PEPI) Trial not only validated the beneficial effects of hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) on serum cholesterol, it also turned the spotlight on natural progesterone. That hormone appeared to be more effective than the synthetic progesterone medroxyprogesterone acetate, or MPA, (Provera) in preserving estrogen’s beneficial effects on the heart and was just as effective in preventing estrogen -induced overgrowth of the uterine lining.
Moreover, earlier studies had indicated that natural progesterone’s side effects are minor. Some women taking it experience some drowsiness, but they are spared many of the symptoms associated with MPA - fluid retention, breast tenderness, and depression.
Many people have asked why doctors aren’t suggesting natural progesterone as an option for HRT. The answer is that in the United States natural progesterone isn’t available through conventional channels, and it is a relatively untested entity. However, it has a long and intriguing history.
Scientists first purified progesterone in 1934, but they soon found that the hormone was broken down to an inactive form in the intestine before it could be absorbed. In the 1950s chemists bonded progesterone to other compounds, which provided safe passage through the digestive system. These new synthetic compounds came to be known as “progestins.”
Progestins such as MPA and norgestrel were patented by pharmaceutical companies, studied extensively in clinical trials, and approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in treating secondary amenorrhea, a condition in which premenopausal women who have had normal periods stop menstruating.
However, lower doses of progestins than those necessary to treat amenorrhea were found to eliminate endometrial overgrowth - a problem associated with postmenopausal estrogen use - and so progestins were added to HRT regimens. Yet the FDA hasn’t approved progestins specifically for HRT because there is little information on their long-term effects.
Researchers who continued to experiment with natural progesterone found that by pulverizing it into minute particles-a process called micronizationthey could make it absorbable in oral form. However, in early tests the oral preparation could not produce the sustained levels of progesterone necessary to stimulate menstruation. In the early 1980s researchers came up with a longer-lasting preparation - a gelatin capsule containing 200 mg of micronized progesterone suspended in oil.
A version of that product called Utrogestan, which is produced by the French pharmaceutical house Besins-Iscovesco, is now widely used for HRT in Mexico and Europe. Schering-Plough Corporation licensed micronized progesterone from LaSalle Laboratories, an affiliate of the French company, and supplied it in 200-mg capsules for the PEPI trial.
Schering plans to market that drug as Prometrium in the U.S., but doctors won’t be able to prescribe it for HRT until it is approved by the FDA for treating secondary amenorrhea, as many of the progestins were originally.
Richard
Thursday, September 11th, 2008
John Russell asked:
It is generally agreed by many physicians that the primary reason for Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is symptom relief from menopause, with less emphasis on using hormone therapy for disease prevention. It is important that the woman know all risks and benefits associated with HRT and reminded that the risk for breast cancer does increase naturally for all women as they age, as does the risk of heart disease and osteoporosis. “Women with a uterus who are currently taking estrogen plus progestin should have a serious talk with their doctors to see if they should continue it. If they are taking this hormone combination for short-term relief of symptoms, it may be reasonable to continue, since the benefits are likely to outweigh the risks. Longer term use or use for disease prevention must be re-evaluated, given the multiple adverse effects noted in Women’s Health Initiative (WHI).”
One physician associated with the WHI says, “always cautions patients about the potential for increased breast cancer risks.” First, she rules out women who are not candidates for HRT - those with bleeding problems of an unknown cause, suspected breast cancer or history of breast cancer, history of endometrial cancer or certain cancers of the uterus, chronic liver disease such as cirrhosis or a history of blood clots.
She further tells her patients who want to stop HRT that they can certainly quit anytime. First of all, with menopause, we’re not treating a disease, and stopping HRT has no major consequences, except perhaps a return of the original menopausal symptoms.
For both women who want to stop taking HRT and for women who choose not to start HRT, there are alternative therapies. For almost everyone, there are other treatment options. For instance, women they can reduce their risk of heart disease by stopping smoking and by keeping their weight, cholesterol levels and blood pressure under control. Prozac and some other antidepressants can relieve hot flashes. Prescription drugs such as Fosamax help protect against osteoporosis. Also, the drug Evista (raloxiphene HCI), prevents osteoporosis and further claims to lower total cholesterol and prevent breast cancer. However, because women on Evista may experience more hot flashes, it raises questions about how that might affect the brain. Research now suggests a link between hot flashes and Alzheimer’s. Evista belongs to a class of drugs called SERMs, or Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators. A SERM being used in Europe Tibolone, may be more effective without the side effects found in Evista.
Noah
It is generally agreed by many physicians that the primary reason for Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is symptom relief from menopause, with less emphasis on using hormone therapy for disease prevention. It is important that the woman know all risks and benefits associated with HRT and reminded that the risk for breast cancer does increase naturally for all women as they age, as does the risk of heart disease and osteoporosis. “Women with a uterus who are currently taking estrogen plus progestin should have a serious talk with their doctors to see if they should continue it. If they are taking this hormone combination for short-term relief of symptoms, it may be reasonable to continue, since the benefits are likely to outweigh the risks. Longer term use or use for disease prevention must be re-evaluated, given the multiple adverse effects noted in Women’s Health Initiative (WHI).”
One physician associated with the WHI says, “always cautions patients about the potential for increased breast cancer risks.” First, she rules out women who are not candidates for HRT - those with bleeding problems of an unknown cause, suspected breast cancer or history of breast cancer, history of endometrial cancer or certain cancers of the uterus, chronic liver disease such as cirrhosis or a history of blood clots.
She further tells her patients who want to stop HRT that they can certainly quit anytime. First of all, with menopause, we’re not treating a disease, and stopping HRT has no major consequences, except perhaps a return of the original menopausal symptoms.
For both women who want to stop taking HRT and for women who choose not to start HRT, there are alternative therapies. For almost everyone, there are other treatment options. For instance, women they can reduce their risk of heart disease by stopping smoking and by keeping their weight, cholesterol levels and blood pressure under control. Prozac and some other antidepressants can relieve hot flashes. Prescription drugs such as Fosamax help protect against osteoporosis. Also, the drug Evista (raloxiphene HCI), prevents osteoporosis and further claims to lower total cholesterol and prevent breast cancer. However, because women on Evista may experience more hot flashes, it raises questions about how that might affect the brain. Research now suggests a link between hot flashes and Alzheimer’s. Evista belongs to a class of drugs called SERMs, or Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators. A SERM being used in Europe Tibolone, may be more effective without the side effects found in Evista.
Noah









