Hormone Therapy: MHT or HRT

Are there any benefits of adding a progestogen to estrogen if a woman does not have a uterus?

Women without a uterus would typically not be prescribed a progestogen since they technically don't need it to protect the lining of the uterus. But the symptoms of menopause are not solely because of the lack of estrogen. 

Progesterone stimulates the brain to produce a calming neurotransmitter called GABA. One of the functions of GABA is to calm the brain, which may help women relax and switch off the brain and that can help women sleep much better. Since it has a calming effect, progesterone may also reduce anxiety and panic attacks for those women who continue to face these symptoms despite being on estrogen replacement and without any other underlying cause. In addition to that progesterone also has a positive impact on bone health. 

Bottomline, yes there are benefits to adding…

Premature Menopause occurs in 1% of women and is when a woman experiences her final menstrual period before the age of 40. 

The Bad News: Menopausal health issues are fast forwarded by many years including increased risk for fracture, cardiovascular disease, sexual dysfunction, vaginal and bladder issues, cognitive and mood changes, etc

The Good News: While Menopausal Hormone Therapy or MHT seems to be shrouded with unnecessary controversy for women who menopause later, research is quite clear about its use for women with premature menopause. In the absence of contraindications, hormone therapy is recommended for women with premature menopause at least until the average age of menopause.

So, for those of you who have had to deal with premature menopause, please go out there and get the treatment that you need and deserve.

#menopausewize #menopause #prematuremenopause #perimenopause #menopausematters #mht #hrt #hormonereplacementtherapy

Breast cancer risk for women who have a uterus and take estrogen + progestogen therapy. 

According to the Women's Health Initiative the WHI which was one of the largest studies on MHT, they observed that in the group who used Estrogen + a synthetic progestin there was (PMID: 12117397)

1. 1 additional case of breast cancer diagnosed for every 1,000 users per year. This risk is similar to women who have low physical activity or who are obese or someone who consumes 2 glasses of wine every day

2. > 30 percent reduction in hip fractures and 

3. Reduction in colorectal cancer

Which brings us back to weighing individual risks and benefits with your doctor instead of being blindsided by statements like “hormones cause cancer”. 

Research today suggests that estrogen alone MHT in women without a uterus reduces their probability of developing breast cancer by over 20% (PMID: 15082697)

According to a UK-based research paper (PMC8827222), it is estimated that if 1,000 otherwise healthy women who are not on HRT and aged between the ages of 50 and 60 years are followed up over 5 years, 23 of them will develop breast cancer, while in a 1,000 who have had a hysterectomy and therefore can be given estrogen-only therapy, 19 will develop the disease

#menopausewize #menopause #perimenopause #estrogen #breastcancer #cancer #hrt #mht #hormonereplacementtherapy