24 Seven November 2017

Lorraine Maita, MD
HORMONE
REPLACEMENT
THERAPY AND
BREAST
CANCER –
A NEW
PERSPECTIVE
The news has again been filled with reports
of the dangers of hormone replacement
therapy. A study published in the Journal of
the American Medical Association, looked
at the same people from the infamous
Women’s Health Initiative (WHI). The news
isn’t that different, they just followed the
study participants longer and found the
cancers to be more aggressive. Understand,
therapy is completely different now with the
use of transdermal bioidentical estrogen
given through the skin and oral bioidentical
progesterone in doses that are tailored to a
person’s needs.
Here’s a perspective of what was done in
the WHI, which caused many women to fear
hormone replacement therapy:
The women in the WHI were given
0.625 mg of conjugated equine
estrogen (CEE) (synthetic) and 2.5 mg of
medroxyprogesterone acetate (synthetic
progesterone otherwise known as
progestin).
CEE is available in much lower doses and
bioidentical estradiol is available in both
patch and oral form. The patch allows
hormone to be absorbed through the
skin and does not increase clotting. A
compounding pharmacist can also make it
into a cream.
Progestin was implicated in cancer risk and
we now have pharmaceutical bioidentical
progesterone known as Prometrium, which
comes in doses of 100 or 200 mg. If a lower
or higher or in between dose is needed, it
can be compounded by a compounding
pharmacy. There is a difference between
synthetic progestin and bioidentical
progesterone which is the same chemical
structure made by your body.
The average age of those in the study was
63, and most were well past menopause
when they started hormone replacement
therapy.
Reports from the North American
Menopause Society indicate that there was a
statistically significant reduction in mortality
and a positive benefit to risk ratio for women
started on hormone therapy in the first
decade after onset of menopause when
data from the two Women’s Health Initiative
hormone therapy trials were pooled.
The deaths due to breast cancer were 2.6
per 10,000 women and women who were
not on hormone replacement therapy also
developed breast cancer at the rate of 1.3
deaths per 10,000 women.
Dr. André Lalonde, Executive Vice-President,
Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
of Canada stated, “The increased risks
for breast cancer in users of combination
hormone therapy is about the same risk
women accept when they drink alcohol,
don’t exercise regularly or gain weight after
menopause.”
So many women suffer and both doctors and
patients are fearful of hormone replacement
therapy. The point is, that there are newer
studies using bioidentical hormones at
the beginning of menopause which show
benefit and the same or reduced risk of
breast cancer. The most benefit occurs in the
first five to 10 years.
My blog, Hormone Replacement Options
for Men and Women, on my website, cites
the numerous studies that illustrate the
safety and efficacy of hormone replacement
therapy. If you are experiencing symptoms of
menopause, talk to a doctor who specializes
in bioidentical hormone replacement
therapy and get a perspective of the risks
and benefits.
Lorraine Maita, MD, is a recognized and award-winning holistic, functional and anti aging physician and author. She transforms
people’s lives by getting to the root cause of illness using the best of science and nature. Her approach is personalized, precision
medicine where you are treated as the unique individual you are. www.HowToLiveYounger.com