The fact that this is not blockbuster news is WILD
New research out of Case Western Reserve University shows that starting estrogen replacement in perimenopause—up to 10 years before your final menstrual period—drastically lowers women’s risk of breast cancer, heart attack and stroke by 60%.
Think about that! It cuts your risk by almost 2/3. WOW.
Add this to the research we already have (HERE and HERE) that shows HRT lowers your risk of dementia by 33% and Parkinson’s disease by up to 63% and in my mind, there’s absolutely no denying it:
HRT should be routine preventative care for virtually all midlife women.
The CWRU study was a meta-analysis of data from over 120 million patients, that found:
“Women who commenced estrogen therapy early—during perimenopause—experienced approximately a 60% reduction in the odds of developing breast cancer, heart attacks, and strokes compared to both postmenopausal and non-therapy cohorts.”
Further, the study authors wrote:
“These findings implicate the endocrine environment during the menopause transition as a pivotal window during which estrogen therapy can exert maximal preventive health benefits. The mechanistic underpinnings may involve estrogen’s modulation of vascular endothelial function, lipid metabolism, and inflammatory pathways, alongside its antiproliferative effects on breast tissue, collectively reducing disease susceptibility.”
That means that, in fact, estrogen does not cause breast cancer when started early after all, like the WHI claimed.
Instead, it CONFIRMS what many researchers have long been saying: the earlier you start hormone replacement therapy (HRT), the better. And doctors who say you need to wait until you’re fully menopausal (one year without a period) are wrong—plain and simple—and now we have more data to prove it.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:
If there were a blockbuster new shot or a pill that could cut our risks of these debilitating and often deadly conditions by this much, Big Pharma and the mainstream news media would be ALL OVER IT.
But they’re not. Because hormone replacement—bioidentical estradiol, micronized progesterone and testosterone—are cheap and generic. So, there’s no money to be made.
But there IS big money to be made from anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications, prescription sleep aids like Ambien, and new medications like Veozah (which costs $1,500 a month and is not covered by insurance), Lynkuet, and Vyleesi, all of which:
- only mask symptoms,
- alter your brain chemistry,
- cause unwanted side effects,
- further weaken your bones, and
- do not treat the myriad of low-hormone symptoms beyond hot flashes and low libido.
In other words, they do NOTHING to protect you from breast cancer, heart attack, stroke, dementia or Parkinson’s. Or osteoporosis, vaginal dryness, UTIs, painful sex (what good is a libido if sex hurts!?), joint pain, muscle weakness, tinnitus, and a whole host of other symptoms.
Sure, antidepressants can make you not give a shit about feeling like shit anymore. But don’t you want to give a shit? About your life, your family and friends, your job and your health?
“The goal of this study was to explore whether estrogen therapy could do more than relieve symptoms, and the results suggest that early initiation could be a key factor in reducing morbidity,” said Ify Chidi, lead author from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
In other words, make it less likely you’ll die.
And even the medical director at the Menopause Society, Dr. Stephanie Faubion, agreed, saying: “The findings of this study suggest lower risk and potentially greater benefit of estrogen-based therapy when started in perimenopause.”
So, if your doctor tells you that you’re “too young” to start hormone replacement because you haven’t yet reached that magical one-year mark of menopause, show them this study.
To be clear: If you’re already menopausal, it’s not too late. There are still benefits.
But for younger women (I started having perimenopause symptoms at 38, although I didn’t know it at the time), don’t snooze on this and don’t let your doctor gaslight you. The data is on your side.
**This is not medical advice, and I am not a doctor. The information here is based on my personal experience and research.
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