Recent news stories have many people confused and concerned about hormone replacement and its associated risk for cancer. FitMed Partners helps patients make educated, informed decisions about hormone therapy by offering bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). Learn about proven and safe therapies for men and women by viewing Dr. McConnell’s “Safely Navigating the Risks & Benefits of Hormone Therapy Webinar. Log into our Webinar Archives and view past webinar presentations today!
When women reach menopause age, the issue of hormone replacement therapy becomes part of the conversations they must have with their physician. Hormone replacement therapy is an issue that has a lot of controversy and confusion surrounding it. One local physician, Dr. Bright McConnell, III of Fitmed Partners, examines the issue and breaks it down so women can make an educated, informed decision about hormone replacement therapy. He states, “Women are scared of hormone replacement therapy and its link to breast cancer in the past. They feel that they have no options. As a result, menopausal symptoms go untreated. In some instances, there is a treatment that can help women in need of hormone replacement without increasing the risk for breast cancer.”
There are 2 separate kinds of hormone replacement therapy:
Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) and conventional hormone replacement therapy (HRT). States Dr. McConnell, “HRT is the therapy that caused quite a stir a few years back when studies showed an increase risk of breast cancer while patients were taking HRT. This hormone replacement therapy is the process of women taking estrogen plus an artificial synthetic (non bio-identical) hormone replacement. Many women believe that this hormone replacement therapy is the only option they have available to them, which is not the case.”
BHRT is a hormone therapy option women should consider: Multiple published trials have demonstrated that the breast cancer risk is not seen if women choose BHRT therapy or bio-identical estrogen and progesterone. (Postgraduate medicine, Volume 121 2009) “The new studies received significantly less coverage. Thus, the fear and misinformation continues,” says McConnell. What is BHRT exactly? “BHRT is the process of replicating the hormones a woman naturally produces. Properly modulated, BHRT can not only relieve the menopause symptoms, but also decrease the risks of heart disease, bone fractures and development of Alzheimer’s disease, without increasing the risk for breast cancer.”
Postgraduate Medicine, Volume 121: “Physiological data and clinical outcomes demonstrate that bioidentical hormones are associated with lower risks, including the risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease, and are more efficacious than their synthetic and animal derived counterparts. Until evidence is found to the contrary, bioidentical hormones remain the preferred method of HRT.”
Hormone therapy is a complex subject worth exploring: States Dr. McConnell, “If taken before the age of 60 or within 10 years of menopause, BHRT patients have increased cardiovascular protection. It can also protect breast tissue from cancer development. HRT, the synthesized artificial option, has cast a negative shadow on hormone replacement therapy. There is no fail proof answer to what a woman should do about hormone replacement therapy. But there are options that they have, and they need to be aware that those options are out there.”
For more information about BHRT and hormone replacement therapy options, please contact Dr. Bright McConnell at Fitmed Partners. Studies cited available upon request.
