The Dangers of Hormone Therapy

For many years, Hormone therapy has been used to ease the symptoms of menopause. However, it has also been widely prescribed for preventative purposes in the belief that it would help protect women against future heart disease, weak bones and dementia. In July 2002, the women's health initiative (WHI) ended its research on combinations of estrogen and progestin therapy after it showed that women who underwent this treatment would have a substantially increased risk of breast cancer, heart attacks and stroke. In 2004, the WHI also halted a portion of the study for estrogen only therapy. This was done after finding that the hormone did not offer any protection against heart disease, but instead increased the risk of stroke and blood clots.

A recent survey has shown that most women are not aware of the research that was carried out that the WHI, or the disturbing information that it contained. Although the number of prescriptions had initially declined by 38% in 2003 and 2004, it had increased again and has almost reached previous levels. Drug companies claim that these hormone therapies are safer than the previous versions and doctors continue to prescribe it.

How well do our doctors actually understand the dangers of prescribing hormone therapies? Can we as patients truly trust that they know what they are doing? For years, doctors told menopausal woman that taking a pill made from extracts of horse urine would help prevent hot flashes, heart disease and osteoporosis. More than that, it would greatly extend a woman's youthful years. What was found however is that all that the pill did was to prevent hot flashes. There was no other benefit. This was known for many years. However, aggressive marketing had convinced women and their doctors that this was still the best way to go.

This leads to serious questions that have to be asked. How many of these treatments are actually effective in replacing hormones where the body's natural hormones are deficient. What is the difference between synthetic hormones, plant hormones and hormones that derived from horse urine? Surely there has to be a danger of taking hormones from an animal and transplanting them into a human being. If compatibility is not an issue, what other dangers do they pose? More importantly, how do injecting extra hormones impact on the functionality of our glands and the hormones that they produce?

The Negative Inhibitory Feedback Loop (NIFBL) is a system that controls hormone levels in the body. For example, when the brain detects that the sugar levels are too high, Insulin is produced to process the sugars. When sugar levels drop below a certain level, insulin production is stopped which allows sugar levels to rise again, and so the cycle continues. How does the NIFBL perform this function, and how does hormone replacement treatment affect the NIFBL? Understanding how the endocrinal system works and how hormones are regulated is imperative if we are going to avoid the high risk of serious danger posed by hormone replacement therapies. It is always best to find information that is easy to understand and logical as well as to discuss with your medical practitioner before embarking on any therapies.