Hormone
Replacement Therapy
(HRT)
For Women - Problems
by Michael Mooney (from issue #7, October, 1998)
Oral estrogen replacement therapy was associated
with increased mortality in HIV-positive older women in a recent study. (See:
Clark, RA, et al. Clinical manifestations and predictors of survival in older
women infected with HIV. J AIDS Human Retrovirol (1997) 15(5):341-345)
Estrogen is involved in the pathology of
auto-immune diseases, like lupus and arthritis, and can promote them, and I
have hypothesized that estrogen might promote adverse events for HIV-positive
women when not in balance with its "co-hormones."
Also note that while oral estrogen can
elevate triglycerides, transdermal natural estrogen creams, that absorb through
the skin, do not. This is only one of the reasons that creams are superior.
Oral estrogen is generally prescribed as estrogens that come from horses, a
product called Premarin. (Horse estrogens contain two forms of estrogen that
are NOT natural to humans.)
Oral estrogen may also be combined with
synthetic versions of the natural hormone progesterone called progestins (medroxyprogesterone).
Both kinds of hormone replacement are not truly natural, so they are associated
with more side effects than the natural hormones.
While some doctors haven't begun to consider
that hormone replacement should mean administering more than oral estrogen alone,
progressive doctors measure estrogen, progesterone, DHEA, testosterone and thyroid,
and replace what's needed in balance. Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone
are usually provided in a cream form. DHEA in capsules and thyroid in tablets.
These hormones operate in an interdependent
system, so a lack of any of them can create imbalance in the whole system.
If your doctor doesn't know about this
or isn't aware of the difference between the commonly used products and the
natural hormone-replacement creams, the experts are Women's International Pharmacy
at 1-800-279-5708. Call them and ask for an information packet.
(Men should consider calling them for information
about testosterone gels.)
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