Articles
Female
Hormone Replacement Controversy
Estrogen makes a woman a woman; testosterone provides her sex drive. It follows that improper levels of estrogen and testosterone and the improper balance between the two causes female libido and performance problems.
The typical woman has about forty years of life, from puberty to menopause, to enjoy the health benefits of estrogen. During that time she is resistant to diseases and aging changes. Her estrogen and other hormones generally make her resistant to heart attacks, strokes, arthritis, and all sorts of diseases. Her immune system functions almost perfectly.
Then menopause occurs. She loses most of her estrogen and other hormones. Catastrophe begins for many women.
But the hormones lost at menopause can be replaced. Estrogen hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been offered since the 1950s and is the most widely used of all hormone replacement therapies. However, because of the recent findings of adverse side effects, many women have stopped their HRT, and many others have decided not to start.
The principal fear is that HRT increases the probability of breast cancer. But before we rush to conclusions, lets review the widely varying test data in terms of benefits and adverse side effects. We will see that HRT is highly beneficial for most women and presents specific, measurable, adverse side effects for some not all women.
Over forty million women in the USA have received various forms and combinations of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone HRT. Most take HRT for the reduction of menopausal symptoms including hot flushes, mood swings, lost of energy, lost of bone density, and lost or reduction of sex drive. A very large number of researchers have studied various groups of these women - at various times - and for varying time periods. They have reported a wide range of conflicting results.
Then in 2002 the very scary results of the Womens Health Initiative were published. The study followed 16,608 women aged 50 to 79 with the average age being 63 at the beginning of the study. The study lasted for a period of 5.2 years. 8,506 of the women were on HRT and 8,102 were given a placebo. The reported findings:
Affect On:
Risk Per 10,000 Women
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Breast Cancer Increased 8 more
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Heart Disease Increased 7 more
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Stroke Increased 8 more
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Pulmonary embolism Increased 8 more
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Colorectal cancer Decreased 6 fewer
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Hip fracture Decreased 5 fewer
These results have really scared women needing hormone replacement, and their medical advisors. But the scare is exaggerated for most women. Looking at the test data more closely, it is seen that women in the 50 to 59 age range who are the majority of women needing the HRT actually enjoyed decreased risks for heart disease and stroke.
Additionally, detailed analyses of the results indicated that it was the use of synthetic progestin by the women that caused the increased risk of breast cancer. Estrogen per se in other tests reduced the risk of breast cancer, especially so when taken with natural progesterone.
Careful analyses of the various tests and studies, taking into account the varying parameters: estrogen alone, estrogen with progestin, estrogen with progesterone, dose size, length of time on HRT, the varying genetic profiles and the varying ages of the participants, it is seen that the benefits and adverse side effects are dependent on the health and genetic profiles of the individual, and on the combination, balance, and dose size of the HRT hormones. The combined results from all tests other than the tests using synthetic progesterone, show:
1. A decrease in heart disease that varies from very little for some women, to 60% for others;
2. A decrease in strokes that varies from slight to 75%;
3. Improved mental ability: concentration, alertness, memory improved by 39%
4. Retards dementia and Alzheimer's disease from slight for some and up to 50% for others;
5. Reduces joint and muscle pain;
6. Retards onset of - and sometimes reverses osteoporosis;
7. Keeps bones strong;
8. Keeps teeth strong - 36% less likely to need false teeth.
9. Reduces colon cancer by 29%; that increases to 55% when used for over 10 years;
10. Provides a slight decrease in lung cancer;
11. When taken with progesterone, the risks of uterine or breast cancer that may result from taking estrogen alone, are nullified;
12. Retards onset of cataracts;
13. Increases youthful qualities of skin: thickness, tone, etc.;
14. Relief from hot flashes, and other symptoms of menopause;
15. Improved mood;
16. Better sleep;
17. More energy;
18. Better quality of life;
19. Longer life: a 44% decrease in mortality over a given period of time.
20. Extends sex life and improves libido, decreases vaginal dryness, improves vaginal wall thickness, makes vagina more flexible, decreases vaginal atrophy.
This may seem to be an unbelievable list of benefits. But estrogen is the most powerful hormone in the female body. It builds up in young females and peaks shortly after puberty. There are over 300 tissues in the human body that are affected by estrogen. The effects vary from woman to woman, depending on her individual genetic profile.
The longer the post-menopausal woman lives, the more problems she is going to have. Having a healthy life is far too important to be frightened by general population statistics. Learn more about your specific, personal situation.
It may be helpful to consider that a diabetic must take the hormone insulin to survive. They have the choice to take insulin and live, or do nothing and die.
All of our hormonal problems will only get worst, as we grow older. Aging is caused by declining hormones and aging causes declining hormones. Its like, which comes first, the chicken or the egg. Which comes first, declining hormones, or aging. Either way, the principal cause/result of aging is declining hormones.
γ UTC Publishing Company, Tom McQueen, PhD and Cheryl Fox, RN
You can learn more by reading our book: Libido Rewired, and by taking our free computer analysis to get personally tailored step-by-step actions to improve your sex drive.
