In recent years, many doctors have been advocating
that women switch from synthetic hormones to
natural hormones. In this issue, Dr. Helen Pensanti
warns of the medical risks of synthetic hormone
therapy.
| 1. |
Premarin
is not "natural" to the human body. It is
made from pregnant mares urine. The generic name for
Premarin is conjugated equine estrogen. |
| 2. |
In
1995, The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
published an article stating that not only long-term,
but short-term use of Premarin had a 40% percent risk
of acquiring breast cancer! |
| 3. |
1995
Nurses' Health Study (one of the largest studies done
to date): Women taking synthetic estrogen alone had
a 36% increase in risk of breast cancer; those on synthetic
estrogen plus progestin had a 50% increase; those on
progestins alone had a 240% increase of breast cancer.
Women who, at the time of the study, had been taking
estrogen and progestin for 5-10 years had a 45% increase
in their risk of breast cancer. |
| 4. |
1995
Nurses' Health Study: the older a woman was, the higher
the risk. Women between the ages of 60 and 64 who had
been taking synthetic hormones for five years or more
had a 71% increased risk of developing breast cancer.
|
| 5. |
Mainstream
medical doctors use the rationale that elevated cancer
risks are balanced by the fact that these estrogens
protect against heart disease and osteoporosis. In April
2000, a federal study of 25,000 women published in the
New York Times indicated that conventional hormone replacement
therapy may put women at a higher risk of heart attack
and stroke. |
| 6. |
The
estrogen, "estriol" is completely missing
from some forms of conventional hormone replacement
therapy. In the female human body, estriol is the estrogen
that is found in the greatest amount compared to estrone
and estradiol. Over 80% of this natural tri-estrogen
is estriol in females. Studies have shown that estriol
protects the body from the more carcinogenic estrone
and estradiol and is especially protective against breast
cancer! |
| 7. |
The
percentages of estrone and estradiol found in Premarin
are much greater than the levels your body produces
naturally. This leads to hormone imbalance. |
| 8. |
The
"patch" contains 100% estradiol which is the
most potent of all the estrogens found in the female
body, It contains no estrone and no estriol. If you
look in the Physician's Desk Reference under listing
for the patch which is sold under several brand names,
you will see, in large print, the following statement:
ESTROGENS HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO INCREASE THE RISK OF
ENDOMETRIAL CARCINOMA IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. |
| 9. |
2000
Physician's Desk Reference (PDR): Side effects of Premarin:
Endometrial cancer, breast cancer, blood clots, uterine
bleeding, uterine fibroids, weight gain, mental depression,
edema, changes in libido, gallbladder disease. |
| 10. |
A
side effect of synthetic hormones is weight gain, especially
around the middle, hips, and thighs (the classic "pear-
shaped" weight gain). The average weight gain I
saw in women who were placed on synthetic hormones was
between 20-30 pounds, sometimes even more! |
