The symptoms of menopause are similar to labor pains in that they feel they will go on forever, however, announce the birth of a new life. In fact, while perimenopause lasts much longer – from 5 to 10 or even 13 years, is not an indicator of how life will be. "Menopause is a time of growth and adaptation, and our bodies are an intimate part of the trip. The symptoms associated with menopause closely reflect the flow of the body's hormonal systems.
Menopause can be very dramatic, however. Whether lack of sleep, menopause-related depression, hot flashes, vaginal dryness or emotional swings, the good news is These symptoms can be alleviated. A good treatment of menopause symptoms will help many seemingly diverse, as are all related to the root hormonal flow in the body.
HRT is one choice, popular among physicians, and many women have found helpful. But what is often not understood, is that there are different types of hormone replacement therapy, even among those prescribed by doctors.
Premarin is one of the largest and expertise, and the oldest types of hormone treatment. Premarin is made from the urine of pregnant mares, and is an estrogen only hormone pill. It was recommended as beneficial for, among other things:
* Vaginal tissue thickening
* Help with depression
* Stop flushing
* Prevention of heart disease, osteoporosis and Alzheimer's
However, research has also found a relationship between supplementation estrogen-only breast cancer. The cells of the breast and uterus are sensitive to estrogen. So to add estrogen, without the checks and balances intrinsic to our normal hormonal system can stimulate the growth of this tissue.
What many believed was a mitigating circumstance for premarin was the belief that it helped prevent heart disease. This presumption is based on the fact that premarin lowered LDL cholesterol. High levels of LDL cholesterol above had been identified as a risk of developing heart disease. However, this belief has been found that is not supported in several large clinical trials. In one involving women with heart disease, those taking Premarin (in combination with a synthetic form of progesterone which was given with premarin to prevent endometrial cancer) these women actually significantly increased their risk of having another heart attack in the first year of use. This risk is stabilized after that, but did not provide any protective effects of the heart. In a study of healthy women, with the Premarin hormone replacement with or without progesterone supplementation synthetic, not decrease the risk of heart attacks or heart disease.
Another drawback of Premarin and other hormone replacement therapies is the way often prescribed in a kind of 'one size fits all' way, regardless of size of a woman or medical history.
But the news is not all bad with HRT therapy. When premarin was developed, there was no capacity among scientists to produce other types of estrogen. Because estrogen in horses is not natural in women, side effects such as bloating, headaches and sore breasts are common. And because the breakdown products of estrogen the horses are so strong actually more active in the body that the original horse estrogen, have a pronounced effect on estrogen-sensitive tissues, such as breast cancer. And given that numerous studies have shown that these metabolic byproducts may lead to changes in the DNA of cells that are carcinogenic to living tissue it is not surprising that the incidence of breast cancer increases when women take Premarin.
But there are alternatives. Bioidentical hormones are developed from soy beans or yams, and its chemical structure is designed to reflect what is in women's bodies. In addition, bioidentical hormones are not usually given standardized way, 'one size fits all' dose, but are tailored to the story of a woman filing. It is usually administered at low doses, and because chemically behave like regular estrogen plus, they are not associated with side effects of premarin, but have not been used in large-scale studies have premarin.
References: Dr. Christiane Northrup, The Wisdom of Menopause
Rebecca Prescott presents more information on hormone replacement therapy here. For other menopause information, click here.
Hormones