BIO-IDENTICAL VS. HRT
Has anyone been following the shows on Oprah with Robin McGraw (Dr. Phil's wife) and her newest book "What's Age Got to do With It", Dr. Christiane Northrop "The Wisdom of Menopause" and tonight's show with Suzanne Sommers and her newest book "Breakthrough". I would love to have an ongoing discussion with all of you ladies out there in Blogland..... What are YOUR feelings regarding the debate, Bioidentical Hormones vs. HRT (synthetic hormones) Anyone with any positive or negative experiences you would like to share with all of us that may be sitting on the Perimenopausal/ Menopausal Fence?
Younger ladies.... join in as well!
Let's Chat!
P.S. Oprah's live webcast with Dr. Northrop that aired this evening can be downloaded for free starting tomorrow by going to Oprah.com. It was extremely informational and should be viewed by all women of every age.
13 comments:
About 18 years ago, I had a TOTAL hysterectomy. I was 41. I was immediately put on HRT. I wasn't excited about that. And, about 6 months later, after losing my Commission Sales job, due to store closing...and my insurance...I had to stop using the HRT. No insurance = no prescriptions.
I had done some reading, anticipating the job and insurance loss. I began following what I'd read in the book, "Menopause without HRT". It involved taking certain vitamins.
I don't remember what the vitamins were...but they sure did the trick. I never had a hot flash or any of the other symptoms of menopause. And I felt better...without the fear of what I'd heard about HRT.
18 years later...and going strong! I still take vitamins.
Jan
Sadly, I have not been paying attention to any of this. I always thought that I had a ways to go, I'm 39 and thought I was too young. A couple of months ago, I did start to notice some symptons, one being hot flashes. I will be watching this thread.
I started menopause January 4, 2002. How do I remember the exact date? Because I had started a new job and was in training and after the training I pulled into the emergency room and said I was dying of a heart attack. I could not calm down for the life of me--for about 2 years after that--i did about every 3 or 4 months..lol. I was NOT right. i sat in snow--I LIVED off of Burger Kings Frozen Cokes. I had the dizzies, the cries, the whineys..I'm slowly coming out of it. I had a hysterectomy also but still have my ovaries. I tried the Patch--that made me worse. So I have been doing it pretty much with frozen cokes, paxil at a very low dose and everyone knowing I'm not right!
I was an OB/Gyn nurse for many years and have seen both sets of scenarios. It is very scary to me that women do not take hormone therapy. The hormones protect your heart and keep you from developing heart disease/heart attacks. Many women try the bio-identical with excellent results others have to use the HRT. I feel that whatever works for you is the answer. As long as you are doing one or the other. If you are not using them your risk of heart disease increases greatly. I am 47 and have not had to start on them yet. But plan to be on them as long as needed. Now saying this, If you have a family history of breast cancer or other females cancers, then therapy may not be for you. Work closely with your GYN MD and ask lots of questions. But most of all listen to your own body.
Lorri
Oprah had a live Webcast this evening featuring Dr. Northrop in which you could call in live and ask any questions you may have. It was wonderful. For your info, that webcast can be downloaded and viewed for free starting tomorrow. Go to Oprah.com to download. It was extremely informational and should be viewed by all women whether you are in perimenopause, menopause, before or after. It is worth watching.
Like Lorry said: Listen to your body. And I did.
Foremost my GYN told me, HRT was available but in the long run it is cancerous. So I stayed out of it. I am now 54 going on to 55 coming December... have comfortably gone through menopause without hot flushes. I came across a friend who could not sleep due to heavy sweating, getting nauseous and had problems sleeping.
I think different people experience differently...you only get one or the other... don't fear anything. Let nature takes it s course.
Enjoy life...and enjoy blogging...
Hi Carol, I actually experienced the beginnings of Menopause at 39, nearly 14 years ago. I was under severe stress at the time due to my dad's cancer and his death...and feel that the stress is what brought it on so early. By the age of 46, I was post menopause. I have history of cancer in my family, so I don't do either. I go through seasons of hotflashes here and there, but actually don't have many other symptons. I eat healthy and exercise, and seem to be ok. My friend actually does the Bio-Identical, etc...and is quite pleased with it herself. ~Ciao for now... ~CC Catherine
Ditto to what RoyalTlady said! I am 56, and 3 years past menopause. I truly do believe that everyone experiences menopause differently, as everyone experiences pregnancy differently.
I had 2 drug-free, natural births, and experienced menopause completely drug free as well. I was extremely fortunate, I absolutely realize that.
My worst menopause symptoms were minor bouts of irritability and depression. I never did have hot flashes, but did experience night sweats.
I feel that menopause, as well as childbirth, is part of life. You are not "sick" in either circumstance, and since both experiences for me were quite manageable, I made the decision to avoid drugs.
But everyone is different, and the severity of symptoms can vary. The only advice I could give would be to listen to your body, realize that menopause is a normal, natural thing, and have a frank discussion with your doctor.
I'm not a martyr,if the symptoms were disruptive to my life..trust me..I certainly would have looked at some kind of HRT!! :-)
Hi Carol~
I am so glad to see that there are women who are paying attention to this info...thanks to Oprah for this series, some of which I was able to see.
I have used bio-identicals for several years...I truly believe in the benefits of this type of therapy and would recommend this over traditional HRT. When I started (around age 43), unbeknownst to me, part of my symptoms were being caused by acute mercury poisoning and Lyme disease, in spite of that I experienced benefits from bio's. I still take them although don't need as much now that I've gone through the healing process for the other 2 things...a long process!
The VERY important thing for women to understand is that you must find a doctor who understands how bio-identicals work and has some experience working with them. Many do not know much if anything about them yet. Some will even tell you things that aren't true about them as well.
Be proactive consumers when it comes to your health!
I'm 57 had a total hysterectomy at 47 took menst for awhile than went off because of the cancer scare. Now because of mood swings, hot flashes, vaginal dryness memory loss have gone back on to bio identical estrogen patches. I feel so much better I don't have any of those symptoms now and feel like I can conquer anything.
Low Estrogen causes insomina. I had a hysterectomy 12 years ago.
Due to fibroids but left the ovaries.
No way will I take HRT
Pamela RN
Thanks for opening up your blog to this topic -- I have really enjoyed reading the different perspectives and plan on watching the Dr. Northrup webinar. Two articles that I've found pretty helpful come from a clinic in Maine founded by Dr. Northrup: natural hrt and
hrt alternatives.
I hope Oprah revisits this topic soon -- there are many questions left to answer!
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