Hormone therapy in the 50s not linked to memory loss
In the study, women from California who took estrogen-only hormone replacement therapy for symptoms of menopause were 41 percent less likely to develop pancreatic cancer over a 14-year period than women who never took hormone replacement therapy. Estrogen-only hormone replacement therapy (HRT) contains the female hormone estrogen by itself, as opposed to in combination with other hormones, such as progestin. Because estrogen by itself may increase the risk of uterine cancer, estrogen-only HRT is generally prescribed only to women who’ve had their uterus removed (a hysterectomy). However, in contrast to the results with estrogen-only HRT, the study also found another type of estrogen-containing medication birth control pills were linked with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer when used over the long term. [ 7 Surprising Facts about The Pill ] Women who took oral contraception for 10 years or more had a 72 percent greater risk of developing pancreatic cancer than those who had never used oral contraception. The study found associations, and cannot prove that estrogen whether in hormone replacement therapy or birth control pills actually causes an increase or decrease in pancreatic cancer risk .
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Bioidenticals no safer than other hormone replacement therapy
Researchers found that women between the ages of 50 and 55 years old who took estrogen or estrogen with progesterone performed just as well on tests that measure memory problems as women of the same age who took a placebo. “Our findings are that we didn’t see any long term impact on cognitive function,” said Mark Espeland, the study’s lead author, from the Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Previous studies had found that women 65 years old and older suffered lasting memory problems when they used hormone therapy to treat symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness and trouble sleeping. Imaging tests even found that the brains of those older women assigned to hormone therapy had become smaller, compared to those who took a placebo. Currently, the government-backed U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that postmenopausal women avoid hormone replacement therapy due to increased risks of heart disease, stroke, breast cancer and dementia.
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/26/us-hormone-therapy-idUSBRE95P1CT20130626
The initial structure of the hormone is made from soy and yam plant chemicals, and then modified to mimic the estrogen (estradiol) and progestin (progesterone) a woman produces. It’s important to note that the ways these plant extracts are found in nature are not actually identical to human hormones; they have to be altered to be absorbed by the human body. Bioidenticals can be taken in several ways, including through a patch, pill, cream and other vaginal applications. Bioidentical products can be bought off the shelf or custom made for a specific individual. Some hormone products promoted as being bioidentical are Food and Drug Administration-approved, but that is not the case when a patient asks for a custom blend that has to be made at a compounding pharmacy. More from Morning Rounds with Dr.
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