Back now at 7:44 this morning on Today's Health，a warning about hormone replacement therapy. A new study in this week's journal, the American Medial Association found that it is even riskier for post-menopausal women that originally thought. We’re gonna to see chief medical editor Dr. Nancy Snyderm joining us now with details on this. Nancy, good morning. This is all part of that original study in 2002. It was called the Women's Health Initiative. Women's Health Initiative, Right! And it came to an abrupt end because of a very dramatic finding. Yes. It came to an abrupt end in 2002 because this study put women on hormones and women not hormones and looked at how they did and the women who were on a combination of estrogen and progesterone had higher levels of breast cancer. So this is what those great studies where they said, you know what, “It is so clear. Let's stop it now. ” And interestingly, we watched breast cancer rates drop after that study was completed because so many women got the message. And these researchers have now since been following, continuing to follow these women. They followed over 12, 000 women, they surveyed them now for 11 years. And what they have found?
That's very significant amount of time. It's really good.
And look at this. They have found that the increased risk of advanced breast cancer now. They’re finding that it actually is worse than they originally thought. More aggressive tumors and tumors have spread to lymph nodes. So to me, when you look at this, this is one more nail in the coffin. Of post-menopausal women taking hormone replacement therapy, most women will start when they have hot flushes they feel they have sort of mental loopiness of menopause. Their skin feels better, their bones are stronger. And then they say “Well, I like these hormones, I'd like to stay on them.” And I get that. The reality is there's no free lunch. And there's a price to pay for taking medications, especially for a prolonged period of time. So for some women who are really agonizingly having a difficult time with menopausal symptoms, the question to ask their doctor is: 1.If I take these, how short a period of time can I take them? How low can the dose be? And then, let's, in reality, talk about facing the all for them. I am not a believer as I've said many times before, on the idea that women should be on these kinds of hormones for a prolonged period of time and this is very important science.
So for women who've already got off them, because a lot of women, when the information first came out, they got off the drugs. That's it. But would they do now still have an increased risk? We have believed that as women get off of them, that risk goes back to almost zero after three or four years. Some people hedge their bets thing will maybe not down to zero, but we do know the minute you get off them, you start to revert to a more normal state. This is not the kind of thing that once you take them, you do permanent damage. But two to three years, if you are going to do them, max, I would say, for most women looked at other life style changes and consider not taking hormones. We want to mention that this hormone we are talking about is called Prempro. Prempro. It's a combined hormone therapy. Right. It's synthetic. Estrogen and progesterone, and for some women who say “Oh, yeah, well, I take the natural stuff.” Just want to caution them there's no science to prove that the natural stuff is any different. Pay attention to this one. It's big news.
Doctor Nancy Snyderm, telling us what for this morning. Thank you so much for taking care of us. |