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Study suggests hormone therapy may help protect bone health in women
Osteoporosis & Bone Health | Last Active: Dec 30, 2024 | Replies (51)Comment receiving replies
Thank you for sharing this important information. I opted to go on HRT after I completed 2 years of Forteo . After much reading and careful consideration, I felt it was the best and most natural option for me and my bones. I was about 10 years out of menopause which was not optimal but none of our options really are. It's been about 3 years and I've mostly maintained my density.
The issues of concern with HRT were raised in the Women's Health Initiative Study which turned out to be a somewhat flawed study and the negative results were exaggerated and overblown by the media causing a steep decline in usage. More recently, it is coming full circle and more and more, HRT is being considered a viable option for women to preserve their bones and ease menopausal symptoms. If you have had breast cancer or CVD or have a genetic risk, I can understand not wanting to utilize this option but if those predispositions are not present, I think it's a viable option. I'm really glad I'm on it (along with progesterone which is necessary since I have a uterus). I only wish I had gone on it earlier as my naturopath had suggested about 10 years ago. I was too afraid and wanted to get through menopause naturally. Had I listened to her, I would likely still have a healthy spine and better quality of life.
I'd love to know if others are on HRT and at what dose. I currently use the lowest dose of .025 estradiol transdermal patch and 100 mg progesterone (which seems to be the agreed upon dosage of progesterone to counter risks). I'm considering increasing my estradiol with the hopes of greater preservation. Anyone on HRT? What dose and method are you using?
Replies to "Thank you for sharing this important information. I opted to go on HRT after I completed..."
I had been on bioidentical HRT around the time of menopause but discontinued it after about a year and a half due to the expense. I wish my Functional Medicine OB-GYN had stressed to me how important it was to stave off bone density loss! A dozen years later, I have osteoporosis of the spine and osteopenia elsewhere. She put me back on bHRT, but at a minimal dose (50 mg progesterone cream, 0.025 mg estradiol patch). I seemed to have had an allergic reaction to the 100 mg progesterone capsule as well as premenstrual type discomfort.
Now I am hyper- focused on trying to make up for lost bone via exercise, diet, supplements and low intensity vibration twice a day. Doing everything I can to avoid the hard OP drugs!!!!
I’m taking 100 mg of Progesterone in a pill and 1 gram of estradiol vaginal cream twice a week. I’m going on 5 months now. The only side effect I seem to have is some bloating. That’s not that big of an issue. I’m really hoping that it’s helping with my bone density.
I had to start on HRT right at menopause, and felt best option as already have osteoporosis. Needed .05mg/day for symptom relief, 10-20mg/day prog., but I do not have a uterus, so was told prog. is optional (still don't think good idea to leave out). Since I"m so afraid of osteoporosis drugs and they've all given me some bad side effect so far, taking estrogen is about my only option for now. I hope it helps. Was told the negative press on taking estrogen is old thinking from flawed studies. I hope i can continue it indefinitely. Cancer risks certainly are not the same for all, depending on genetics, diet, etc.
After decades of a brief period on and then no hrt I began bhrt at 76 (menopause at 38.
I had to get it through a functional medicine provider.
She started me on .025 estradiol transdermal patch now up to .0375, testosterone., 100 progesterone and vaginal estradiol cream.
I had finally done my own research and
examination of the flawed women's health initiative study and was appalled by the impact of bad science on at least one generation of women. The grief of realizing how little money was being used for research on women's health and how my own health issues.... osteoporosis,high blood pressure, lack of energy, vaginal atrophy and loss of libido..to name a few... probably would have been positively effected by having had continued hormone replacement.....
Anger, sadness, grief yes.
I am a quality vs quantity kind of woman when it came to this decision. And increased quality is what I am getting. I am thrilled that I have my libido back, have more energy and mental clarity and can anticipate that bhrt will be helpful in managing my osteoporosis.
Each woman must make her own decision but do the research, read the current information, challenge provider's position.....by that I mean what research informs their treatment plan for you.
I also did two years of Forteo and then Raloxafine for 5 years as maintenance. Now back on Forteo. Can you tell me what kind of HRT you are taking and dose? I would really appreciate that, as I don't want to push my luck with Forteo (as in extending past the recommended 24 months). Hoping to do only a year at the most, if bone density shows improvement. Trying to get approval for Evenity after Forteo, but nervous about that also. Thank you : )
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If I can find this I'll post a link to it but I came upon an article recently wherein two oncologists debated HRT for women who've had breast cancer. One doctor was adamantly opposed to HRT and another pointed out that the Woman's Health Initiative Study had a lot of issues, with much of its methodology since disavowed, and he thinks that HRT is not a risk for women who had breast cancer at all. As we know it's always confusing when the experts disagree but I wonder if, somewhere down the line, estrogen will be considered safe for a woman to take even having had breast cancer some years earlier. If so then one can hopefully try to protect against bone loss from the years of not having estrogen.
I think this is similar to the Lupron debate for men with prostate cancer and the question of how long and how much Lupron is safe and when can someone discontinue it safely and even take drugs to resupply the body with testosterone. That is, research is looking at how long a body needs to be deprived of a hormone that, at one point in time, fed a tumor without assuming it always will trigger the same outcome.