Perimenopause Treatment Myths

For many years, women believed in pharmaceutical companies when they said hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is the best perimenopause treatment. Nothing could be farther than the truth! Although HRT has given some relief to women suffering from hot flashes, night sweats, and other symptoms, there are many other treatments that are natural for menopause that are safer and even more effective. HRT aggravates hormonal problems suffered by menopausal women by skewing the balance of estrogen and progesterone. A large number of unopposed estrogen and too little progesterone will place you at risk for breast cancer, blood clots, and strokes. Below are some widely-believed myths about HRT's benefits and the studies that proved them wrong.

Myth: HRT will maintain your cardiovascular health during menopause
It was widely assumed that HRT and synthetic estrogens reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. This conclusion was based on large studies that observed lower rates of heart problems among menopausal women on HRT. However, current findings show that women who recently had a stroke or heart attack are at greater risk of getting a second stroke or heart attack after they start taking HRT. Aside from that, research from the Women's Health Initiative showed that even healthy women who take HRT will have a slightly increased risk of suffering a stroke or heart attack within the first two years of therapy. This effect had a stronger association with combined oral estrogen and progestin treatments; studies show that the effect of estrogen on cardiovascular health varies according to the mode of delivery.

Because of these compelling new findings, the American Heart Association recommends avoiding HRT for the reason of preventing heart disease. In addition, women who have had a stroke, who have heart disease, or are at risk for both should avoid synthetic hormones.

Myth: HRT will help you avoid breast cancer
The decades-old myth that the oral contraceptive pill and HRT are the secrets to a woman's good health has long been disproven. Harvard University's Nurses' Health Study, the largest, longest-running study on female health in the United States, discovered that HRT actually increases the risk of breast cancer. Researchers found out that women who used synthetic estrogens during menopause had a 30% increased risk of developing breast cancer than women who did not. Some HRT treatments include progestin (synthetic progesterone) to balance out estrogen and to prevent uterine cancer. Although this combination was successful in terms of the latter, researchers discovered that progestin actually increases the risk of breast cancer by 40%. The risk for HRT-related breast cancer increases with a woman's age and the number of years she has been taking these hormones.

Myth: HRT will help stave off dementia
Dementia, a progressive cognitive disorder characterized by memory loss, impaired reasoning, and impaired language use, was thought to be prevented by HRT. New research shows that HRT actually shrinks the brain and causes cognitive impairment. These findings were confirmed by a study from the Women's Health Initiative published in the Journal of the American medical Association. Researchers looked at over 4,500 women over the age 65 who had no memory problems at the start of the trial. Half the participants took HRT, the other half took a placebo. Five years later, there were 61 cases of dementia, with 66% of them belonging to the HRT group. Not only was HRT unable to prevent dementia; it actually doubled the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. While only 20% of women who have mild thinking problems will experience dementia, do you really want to risk it with HRT?

Safe perimenopause treatments
Instead of HRT, consider safe menopause treatments like natural progesterone cream. Unlike synthetic progesterone, which increases the risk of uterine cancer, natural progesterone cream fights off the excess estrogen in your body that may be triggering your menopause symptoms. You can also increase your consumption of soy and other foods with phytoestrogens (plant estrogens). Phytoestrogens are far weaker than synthetic estrogen, which means it can provide relief without causing estrogen dominance and other complications.