Bioidentical Hormones, HRT and Breast Cancer

Symptoms of labor pain and menopause are somewhat alike, never ending!  However, in comparison to the few hours of labor, the symptoms of menopause are more long lived – from 5 to 15 years approx. Menopause is a time when body undergoes hormonal changes, and thus the symptoms reflect fluctuations in the body systems.

Menopause can be very troublesome causing sleeplessness, depression, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and mood swings. But the good news is that these symptoms can be reduced and even eliminated. The treatment has emerged in the form of HRT, perhaps the most popular with doctors and physical health specialists.

Yet, the doctor community must know that there are several kinds of hormone replacement therapy. One of its kinds is Premarin, one of the oldest types of treatment. Premarin is an estrogen hormonal pill, composed from the urine of pregnant horses. Apart from healing the normal symptoms, it’s useful for:

• Thickening of vaginal tissue
• Relieving stress and depression
• Controlling hot flashes and night sweats
• Preventing from heart disease, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer’s

Research also shows that estrogen-only supplementation and breast cancer have a strong connection. Because the cells in the breasts and the uterus are reactive to estrogen, by adding estrogen in to our hormonal system can encourage the growth of this tissue.

Many researchers also believed that Premarin helped prevent heart disease by lowering the LDL cholesterol level in the body.

Because the estrogen in horses is not similar to estrogen in women, side effects like bloating, headaches, and sore breasts were common. Many studies show that these estrogen from horses can make changes in the DNA of cells of women, causing breast cancer increases among women taking premarin.

When Premarin was developed, there were no other types of estrogen available. But there are alternatives today in the form of Bioidentical Hormones, which are developed from soybeans or yams, reflecting the chemical structure already found in women. Moreover, bioidentical are not given to every woman alike, and different treatment is given to women with different sizes and medical history. Although not used as highly as premarin, bioidentical hormone treatment is sure going to make a mark in the world of HRT with its less symptoms and effective functioning.