Recent Studies Indicate Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is Beneficial

There is often a fine line that every individual needs to confront to compare what they hear and read and what their doctor may be recommending for treatment or therapy. Perhaps the line is defined by the confidence they have in the knowledge and experience of the doctor and medical staff that will attend to them. There are always trade-offs between the potential reward for a particular therapy or treatment and the associated risks, however minimal, and the final decision requires thoughtful consideration by both doctor and patient. One therapeutic area that has received considerable publicity over the last decade is the use of hormone replacement therapy for women experiencing menopause.

The unpleasant at best and at worst the frequently debilitating effects of menopause are one of the many issues that all women will confront. One choice is to try and ignore the effects and plod through the difficulties for the period of time it takes for this hormonal transition to occur while another choice is to take advantage of what modern medicine has to offer to enable an individual to confront the change and prepare their bodies for the continued joys of life. Currently, the risks appear to be minimal but they are subject to change and require attention and regular doctor visits.

Hormone replacement therapy in America has been under fire for several years for exposing women to a higher risk of heart attacks. Now, new information reported in The Wall Street Journal reveals that the National Institute of Health (NIH) misread the data from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI). The federal government had halted the $725 million study in July 2002 stating that women on HRT for the menopause had a 29% increased risk of heart attack. Unfortunately, this government analysis was not an appropriate interpretation and many women who had considered HRT to address problematic conditions experienced during menopause were frightened and chose not to consider this as an option for treatment.

In spite of the fact that hormone replacement therapy has been successfully used in England for over 40 years under the watchful eye of physicians there, the NIH study came up with a conclusion that was different than the experiences in England.

I had the opportunity to discuss this issue with Dr. David McLaughlin, a gynecologist and Director of the Womens Specialty Health Centers in Noblesville, Indiana (a suburb of Indianapolis). He has over 25 years of successfully providing HRT treatment. He was concerned that during the period of time when HRT studies mistakenly interpreted data that women were forced to endure incessant hot flashes, memory loss, irritability and a loss of libido that resulted from the lack of adequate menopausal hormones when safe treatment was available.

His personal knowledge combined with laboratory and empirical data indicated that individualized treatment with bioidentical hormones derived from plant sources had produced success in alleviating many unpleasant conditions associated with the menopause. Risks associated with HRT outweighed the disadvantages when patient health was continually monitored and evaluated. Of course, he and his staff carefully review the medical history of each patient, assess her symptoms and conduct a physical examination to insure that any potential adverse side effects are minimized.

This new information now affirms that Dr. McLaughlin's approach to HRT is beneficial. Of course Dr. McLaughlin, his skilled and knowledgeable staff and more importantly their patients already knew this.

Recent studies published in the Journal of American Medicine(JAMA) showed a 7% lower risk of dying from a heart attack and a 30% lowered risk of those dying from any cause for those on HRT. These facts were also confirmed in an article published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Another recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEMJ) showed a 60% lower risk of severe coronary artery calcium seen on a heart scan in 50-59 year-old women using HRT. Additional benefits of HRT include reduced hip fractures, reduced colon cancer and a lower risk of diabetes. Other benefits are being studied, analyzed and evaluated.

Women, in consultation with a skilled physician, undergoing menopausal changes that are affecting their quality of life may wish to review the benefits of HRT. Dr. McLaughlin maintains an informative and comprehensive web-site that provides information for women that may be seeking compassionate care, treatment and answers.

Sources:
Wall Street Journal, July 9, 2007, B1,2
JAMA 2002:289;321-33
JAMA 2007:297;1465-77
Arch Int Med:2006:166;357-65
NEMJ 2007:356;2591-602