In August 2002 the results of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) were released: This research was done on women with menopause symptoms using a combination of Premarin® and Provera®; Premarin® being a popularly prescribed Estrogen, and Provera® a popularly prescribed Progesterone.
The study was terminated when the results began to show an increased risk of the following:
An increased risk of Breast Cancer (26%), Coronary heart Disease (29%), Stroke (41%) and Pulmonary Embolism (113%). Even though the WHI research was done on the above two hormones, these concerns have been extended to include the use of all forms of HRT.
The risks of hormone replacement therapy have been known for many years, yet not widely publicised. In 1975, the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine showed that women on estrogen alone were 7.6 times more likely to develop Endometrial Cancer. Long-term users were at even greater risk. Women who used unopposed Estrogen for seven or more years were 14 times more likely than non-users to develop endometrial cancer.
Upon the release of this news of the WHI study, women all over the world became acutely concerned and many decided to go off their treatment immediately. When their symptoms came back soon after stopping their treatment, many started looking for alternatives.
Most women seeking treatment for their menopause symptoms are given standard doses of prescription HRT. This either works or it doesn’t. If there are side effects the options are to either tolerate these side effects, change to another standard prescription or dose, or stop treatment. Once on the HRT treatment, there may be insufficient monitoring and some women may remain on their treatment for many years without being recommended that they should consider coming off their treatment. Going off treatment can involve stopping the treatment “cold turkey” and symptoms will often return.
The concept of the Australian Menopause Centre is to offer a Treatment Program that encompasses a variety of options for treatment of the symptoms of menopause but also involves closer monitoring and regular review. The Australian Menopause Centre has a very experienced group of medical and paramedical staff that is focused on providing a high level of oversight and care.
One of the most popular options offered by the Australian Menopause Centre is Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy (NHRT) also referred to as Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT). Natural HRT is not owned by any pharmaceutical company so it is therefore not promoted by any drug company representatives to General Practitioners. As a consequence, many GPs may not know about NHRT. It should be noted that although NHRT has it’s biochemical structure similar to what the body produces naturally and the dose prescribed can be individualized to suit each person, there has not been the equivalent sized research done on NHRT compared to the size of the Woman’s Health Initiative and therefore it cannot be claimed that it is any more safe or less safe than other forms of HRT. However there are a number of articles relating to NHRT that have been provided on this website for your review.
If you want to know more, contact us now for your Free Medical Consultation on 1300 883 405. The consultation is obligation free and it will be your chance to get any of your menopause concerns answered. If you would like to book online click here
