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Study suggests hormone therapy may help protect bone health in women
Osteoporosis & Bone Health | Last Active: May 28, 2023 | Replies (38)Comment receiving replies
That's an interesting question. Since you don't have a uterus and therefore there is less risk being on estrogen only (and even less so on transdermal), it would seem this is something you could explore with a knowledgeable and progressive physician (I know...hard to find!). The more I read, the more I think I'm going to be on it forever. Perhaps there is some additional risk to that but we have to take our risks somewhere. I'd rather take my risk with something that restores the hormones in my body rather than something that creates new pathways to bone maintenance. Not that I'm opposed to that either if needed but I'd like to use those options minimally.
I've heard interviews with Dr Felice Gersh who is an integrative ob-gyn located in Irvine, CA. She is very knowledgeable about and very pro-HRT. I plan on seeing her to figure out whether my dosing is adequate and to determine a long-term plan. I'll report back on that (but could be awhile). Another doc who is well-versed on using HRT is Risa Kagen though unfortunately, she no longer sees patients. I believe she does consulting and research at this point. As a start, it might be worth looking up those two docs to read about their positions.
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I would appreciate hearing what you learn from seeing her. I "think" that the HRT discussion for women who've had breast cancer was in one of the APSCO emails but haven't yet found it. If/when I do, I'll post a link so all can read it.
I declined anastrozole after a lumpectomy after much thought and appreciating all of the ways estrogen works in the body, even smaller amounts after menopause. I was concerned about the effect on bone regeneration and arterial endothelial tissue and cholesterol. The latter two were important as I come from a family, most members of which die of heart disease or strokes.
I have familial high cholesterol but, luckily and inexplicably, excellent coronary calcium and carotid artery test results last month. As an aside to those worried about osteoporosis and taking calcium, I've been taking calcium plus vitamin D3 and vitamin K2 for almost a decade now and my recent calcium score is, according to my cardiologist, excellent. I mentioned this because some people are afraid of taking calcium and I was always told that vitamin K2 is important in protecting against arterial plaque buildup. I don't know if the K2 is the critical factor but a decade of taking calcium is continuing to keep me in the osteopenia zone. Even with some actual improvement in Dexa score, and my arteries don't seem to be evidencing any worrisome build-up. I do make some effort to get a lot of the calcium from diet but also take supplements.