Posted on 12/13/2008 9:49:47 PM PST by neverdem
Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO: Taking menopause hormones for five years doubles the risk for breast cancer, according to a new analysis of a big federal study that reveals the most dramatic evidence yet of the dangers of these still-popular pills.
Even women who took estrogen and progestin pills for as little as a couple of years had a greater chance of getting cancer. And when they stopped taking them, their odds quickly improved, returning to a normal risk level roughly two years after quitting.
Collectively, these new findings are likely to end any doubt that the risks outweigh the benefits for most women.
It is clear that breast cancer rates plunged in recent years mainly because millions of women quit hormone therapy and fewer newly menopausal women started on it, said the study's leader, Dr. Rowan Chlebowski of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.
"It's an excellent message for women: You can still diminish risk (by quitting), even if you've been on hormones for a long time," said Dr. Claudine Isaacs of Georgetown University's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. "It's not like smoking where you have to wait 10 or 15 years for the risk to come down."
Study results were given Saturday at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
They are from the Women's Health Initiative, which tested estrogen and progestin pills that doctors long believed would prevent heart disease, bone loss and many other problems in women after menopause. The main part of the study was stopped in 2002 when researchers saw surprisingly higher risks of heart problems and breast cancer in hormone users.
Since then, experts have debated whether these risks apply to women who start on hormones when they enter menopause, usually in their 50s, and take them for shorter periods of time. Most of the women...
(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...
If I have to refer to you HERE on FR as “Doctor”....then YOU can refer to me as “MBA, SPHR”....deal? My “miraculous recovery” took much research OUTSIDE of the normal medical system....and outside of the traditional pharmacia...people are DIFFERENT. And, they are ESPECIALLY different than pregnant horses.
Do you know from where your natural hormones were derived? Plants, chemicals?? Pregnant mare urine is as natural an ingredient as one can find.
BTW I didn’t read any comments from Mom MD that asked you to refer to her as Doctor.
I feel bad for the patients taking drugs that are “made” by store front shops under no scrutiny by FDA. I hope the physicians have copious informed consent forms in their files for the lawsuit waiting to happen when one of the patients gets a cancer and wants to blame the drug maker/prescriber.
Oh, pullleeaasseee....my hormones are made in a very reputable pharmacy.....I’d trust them more than many of the myriad of drugs that kill people every year. My doc is one of the leading docs in this area...I trust him - he’s also a Naturapath. The FDA isn’t an organization I trust a whole lot - the pharmaceutical companies have a lot of money to throw at them....and they are trying to shut down the bio-id hormone business. Follow the money. I could be on the FDA approved arthritis drugs for $10,000 a year, that insurance would likely pay some for....and then be on other FDA drugs to counteract the effects of the RA drugs....yeah...right.
By the way, what kind of HORMONES does “pregnant mare urine” as “natural” as it is....have in it?....and how does a human react to them? Well...gee....looks like the FDA screwed up in their research for a bunch of women on that didn’t they.....
And, furthermore for anyone reading here....there is a DIFFERENCE between estriol, estrone, and estradiol....that is likely what causes the problems in premarin....too much of one of them (but, I can’t remember which one right now - do your own research.)
Post 39.
You don’t have a clue.
Sorry I didn’t see the comment in #39...but your “pharmacy” is making your hormones behind the counter??? Where do they purchase estradiol? From China or India? Do they mix up a vat in the back room? You should know what you are putting in your body and for that matter know that ALL estrogens have the Black Box warning. ALL. Even bio-identical.
Estrone is the estrogen that is circulating in a post-menopausal female—that is what is in Premarin. And furthermore the WHI reported that women taking Premarin were less likely to have breast cancer.
Yah, those nasty pharmaceutical companies that make drugs so that those with asthma, diabetes, CVD, high BP,cancer etc can live a normal life are sooo evil and want to recoup their R & D costs so they can study another disease state and possibly cure cancer or diabetes or asthma etc.
Not saying that you shouldn’t take bio-identicals but you should know what the the ingredients are, where they were purchased and the amount of estrogen (or other hormones) per application.
There is a lot of money being made off of bio’s right now and none of it is covered by insurance nor the testing.
I am more worried about the Levothyroxine I take and where ITS ingredients come from than what Key Pharmacy compounds for me. Do you know ANYTHING about the ratio’s of hormones and what they SHOULD be in a woman’s body....and NO I don’t necessarily WANT the body of a post menopausal woman....I want a HEALTHY woman’s body/hormones so I can MOVE.
And, I have NO problem with big pharma creating drugs that help people, as long as they are HONEST with the facts...where THEIR ingredients come from, and HOW MANY people they REALLY tested it on, and HOW MUCH they paid the FDA or any other influential organization to manufacture them. I have a PROBLEM with pharma trying to run bio-id’s out of business on the premise they are NOT good for me. I don’t just go down to the local drug store and buy what is conjured up....
ALSO, do you KNOW anything about the fact that women should have ALL their hormones tested for BALANCE.....including estrone, estrodial, and estrogen, AND, DHEA, testosterone, progesterone, pregnenelone? That there are ratio’s they should pay attention too?
As I said, I am dealing with the PREMIERE doctor in my bio-ID formulations.....there may be those out there who are listening to and seeing quacks and taking quack meds, but that is NOTHING new...it happens in BIG Pharma too.
And, do you drink soda pop? Or eat potato chips? They are bad for you, ya know....they cause cancer.
You might want to do a little more research.
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