› $150,000,000 verdict in personal injury case
A new study suggests that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may decrease the prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), even in women who had known risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, and high cholesterol. However, researchers are not suggesting women use HRT to prevent the condition as the drug has also been linked to cancer, strokes and other cardiovascular risks.
New research on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and birth control pills could leave women even more confused about the risks and benefits of the drugs, doctors warn. The research, published in the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery, suggests that pills containing estrogen may help lower the risk for brain aneurysms. The news follows a tidal wave of studies that linked HRT to breast cancer and other deadly conditions including ovarian cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, heart attack, stroke and blood clots.
“Not every woman requires (nor should every woman take) hormones,” writes Dr. K. Flood-Shaffer, associate professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio, in MyHealthNewsDaily. “For the average woman in the perimenopausal or menopausal period, the reason to start a hormone regimen is very specific. Hormones are used to ease the symptoms of hot flushes (flashes), to control irregular bleeding or to treat vaginal dryness. There may be, in some women, an improvement in her overall sense of well being, improvement in sleep patterns or quality of sleep, or improvement in libido – but none of these are indications to start hormone therapy.”
Thousands of women who claim their hormone replacement therapy (HRT) caused them to develop breast cancer and other deadly diseases and conditions may finally have some resolution, now that Pfizer Inc. has announced it expects to shell out an additional $300 million to settle the last of more than 10,000 product liability lawsuits. The drug giant has already paid $472 million to settle with plaintiffs.
How can you tell if the physical symptoms you are experiencing are from menopause or from a much more serious problem like a heart attack? Dr. Jeff Hersh, a columnist with the Taunton Daily Gazette, recently addressed this question, noting that there are several misconceptions about heart disease in women that first must be understood.
In the 1960s, a New York gynecologist wrote a book called “Feminine Forever,” in which he recommended estrogen for menopause, stating that women on the hormone replacement drug “will be much more pleasant to live with and will not become dull and unattractive.”
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals caught wind of the book and its author’s claims that estrogen reduced a woman’s risk for both breast and genital cancers, and began distributing the book to physicians across the country. Soon after, sales of Wyeth’s HRT drug Premarin took off, growing to more than 30 million prescriptions each year.
Once thought of as a cure-all for a host of menopausal symptoms with benefits ranging from increased bone strength and protection against heart disease, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) continues to come under fire for causing more harm than good. Now researchers believe that women who survived breast cancer and then took HRT to relieve menopause symptoms may be at a significantly higher risk for breast cancer recurrence, according to Natural News.
How and when women take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may affect their risk of heart attack, according to the Washington Post.
October is breast cancer awareness month, which makes it a perfect time for women currently taking or considering taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT), to assess their breast health.
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments today in the first of two cases this term that consumer advocates fear could shut courthouse doors to patients injured by FDA-approved drugs or medical devices.
Legal experts say the cases could also affect lawsuits already filed by tens of thousands of Americans challenging the safety of blockbuster drugs such as Celebrex and Prempro and a host of medical devices.
