Increase Risk of Breast Cancer with Hormone Replacement

    There is much controversy about hormone replacement increasing the risk for estrogen related cancer. Does it or not? Recently, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston reported that breast cancer rates dropped after millions of women stopped taking hormone therapy to relieve menopausal symptoms, but does that mean that these hormones actually cause breast cancer? That’s the provocative question raised by the study. The researchers found an overall 7 percent decline in breast-cancer incidence in 2003, a year after a major study of hormones called the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) was halted early because of increased breast cancer and heart disease among participants. The steepest decline, 12 percent, occurred in the number of women diagnosed with a kind of breast cancer that is especially sensitive to hormones. This was reported in Newsweek December 15th issue.

   What does all this mean to women who are taking hormone replacement or debating if they should take hormone replacement? Research your options. Don’t just jump on the band wagon with everyone else and take the most popular choice sold by the media. There are many pathways out there to consider.

   First let me share my opinion with you on the above statement by Newsweek. They are correct that millions of women pulled themselves off of hormone replacement. But they didn’t share with you that millions of women stopped taking manufactured hormones and many of them switched to Bio-identical hormone replacement.  Compounding pharmacies were flooded with brand new patients searching for some one to help them get started on bio-identical hormones. They wanted to come off of the manufactured product they had been on, because of the scare with the WHI study.  Suzanne Somers released her book, “The Sexy Years” shortly after the study by WHI. This prompted the attention of women across the nation to look at hormone replacement in a different light all together.

    Secondly, in my opinion, if hormone levels are properly monitored and maintained, I feel the benefits of bioidentical hormone replacement will be astonishing and should not be ignored. Everyone wants to talk about the “increased risk” of estrogen related cancer, but what happens to the body when the hormones become deficient and the body is starving for hormones. All our major organs have many receptor sites for certain hormones.  When there is an insufficient level of hormones in the body, the body doesn’t work properly and to its fullest potential. It is like fuel for the body.  There is a safe way to apply hormone replacement.  However, I do not want you to think that I feel anyone who chooses to do bio-identical hormone replacement is exempt from an increased risk of estrogen related cancer.  Rather, when monitored properly and maintained in safe levels, I feel their chances are much better with bio-identical hormones (most like what the body produces naturally) than with most manufactured drugs.  

 

Angie Fielden, Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Specialist at Solutions Pharmacy, has jive years' experience in counseling and educating patients. Solutions, 4632 Highway 58 North, has been named "the nation's experts in formulating Bio-identical hormones" by the American Medical Review. Call (423) 894-0423 for an appointment for a free in-house hormone assessment.