› $150,000,000 verdict in personal injury case
The evidence weighing the benefits and risks of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in menopausal and postmenopausal women continues to tip toward the same conclusion – that taking HRT is dangerous.
For years, Mrs. Smith* chose not to take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to treat bothersome symptoms of menopause. During menopause, some women become “estrogen deficient” – their estrogen level drops so low that they experience symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness that can be so severe it interferes with a woman’s quality of life.
Mrs. Smith talked to her doctor, who recommended Prempro, a pill made by Wyeth that contains a mixture of estrogen and synthetic progestin hormones. The pills were also marketed to doctors and women as a miracle drug that tamed not only menopausal symptoms but also had the added benefit of protecting women against heart disease and osteoporosis. HRT became widely prescribed, and Wyeth racked in billions in profits.
Women who took Wyeth’s hormone replacement therapy (HRT) Prempro at least five years are at greater risk of dying from non-small cell lung cancer, according to a recent study presented at an American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and its link to breast cancer and other serious conditions continue to make headlines. This week, U.S. News & World Report announced that women who take HRT and then get breast cancer are at lower risk of dying from their disease, according to a new study by the University of California-Irvine.
Overweight women suffer more hot flashes during menopause than women who maintain a normal weight, according to the Hartford Courant. The news story references a study published by the American Journal of Epidemiology that debunks an earlier belief that menopausal women who were heavier experienced fewer hot flashes than thin women.
Nevada’s attorney general is suing drug makers Wyeth and Pfizer for alleged deceptive trade practices and misleading the public about the safety of its hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drugs, according to RGJ.com.
Women who take breast cancer drugs Arimidex or generic tamoxifen and suffer with menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats or painful joints may be less likely to have a reoccurrence of their cancer tumors, according to Reuters.
Postmenopausal women who experience a slump in their sex drive may rediscover their libido by taking the male sex hormone testosterone. However, researchers are unsure if there may be a link between the use of testosterone and breast cancer, according to FoodConsumer.org.
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.
