women menopause 2

Hot (News) Flash: It’s Safe to Consider Hormones for Menopause Symptoms

Freud once asked, “What do women want?” Well, for one thing, those of us in our middle years want to know if there’s anything we can do about drenching, mood-destroying and hideously embarrassing hot flashes, short of sticking our heads in the freezer.

There used to be an answer to this problem: Take hormones. But ten years ago a government-funded study, the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), came out with the shocking finding that hormone therapy raised the risk of breast cancer and heart disease. Water pressure dropped across the country as women flushed their pills down the toilet. And a few years later, breast cancer rates dropped, too.

Now, to mark the ten-year anniversary of the Women’s Health Initiative, 15 major organizations have released a joint statement telling women it’s safe to consider hormones again.

Truth is, the WHI study left women unnecessarily frightened, says Sharecare expert Robin Miller, MD, who counsels plenty of midlife women in her integrative medicine practice in Medford, Oregon. “I think the WHI did women a huge disservice,” says Dr. Miller, author of The Smart Woman’s Guide to Midlife and Beyond. “When it came out, I had women hot-flashing all over the place, not sleeping—just miserable. But they were so scared of hormones they wouldn’t even consider them.”

But for short-term use to help with menopause symptoms, hormones aren’t the devil in disguise.

Studies before and after the WHI have shown that the risk of hormones varies tremendously depending on what type of hormones you take and when you take them. Estrogen in pill form raises your risk of blood clots—but estrogen in a skin patch or in a melt-away under-the-tongue form doesn’t. Hormones taken right when you’re going through menopause are easy on your heart; hormones taken years later increase your risk of heart disease.

What’s more, the risks and benefits of hormones add up very differently depending on what’s in your family history. Your mother and sister had early breast cancer? You should almost certainly steer clear, says Miller. But HRT reduces the risk of fractures, so if osteoporosis runs in your family, it may be something to consider. HRT also cuts the risk of colon cancer.

“Everybody’s different,” says Miller. “What I’d like is for every woman to be considered as an individual, and for her to find a doctor who can be a partner and help her consider the risks and benefits of hormone therapy for her.”

Along the way, it can’t hurt to try some no-risk remedies for hot flashes. One study showed that eating a cup of soy nuts every day can cut hot flashes by 50 percent. Grab a handful a few times throughout the day, Miller suggests. Eating frequent small meals instead of fewer big ones can help, too. So can moderate exercise. And no, walking to the freezer to stick your head in it doesn’t count. But with a combination of approaches, hopefully you won’t need to.

Have you found a way to cope with hot flashes? Use the comment box below to let us in your secret.

Join the largest health conversation in 140 characters or less! Tweet what you want to talk about to @SharecareNow and let’s start chatting!

File under: In the News

Contributor

Lisa Davis

Lisa Davis is a deputy editor at Sharecare. She's spent years covering health at a variety of national magazines and in the digital universe, developing an allegiance to scientific research and a respect for what people know about their own bodies. She’s written for newspapers and magazines across the country, and helped launch Hippocrates magazine and guide it as it became Health magazine. Later, she was Deputy Executive Editor at Prevention, and then Health Editor at Reader’s Digest. She tries to spend as much time as possible with her family and friends, figuring that happiness is a key to health and a lot more fun than taking vitamins.

View my Sharecare profile

« Previous Entry
Next Entry »

Comments

  1. Liz C.

    I switched from a male doctor to a female doctor that prescribes bio-identical hormones last year and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. I’m sleeping, my brain is working better and best of all I’ve lost 25 lbs., something I couldn’t do before. I’ve always worried about getting breast cancer after menopause because both of my grandmother did. Now I feel balanced and no longer have that threat hanging over me.

    July 17th, 2012, 4:19 pm
  2. Susan N.

    I did the same thing that Liz C. commented on above. At age 52 I decided to try the bi-identical hormones and have been using them for 3 years now. It is the best thing I have done to get a handle on menopause. Ladies if you are suffering any menopause symptoms, please look into it. It WORKS !

    July 24th, 2012, 1:29 pm
  3. Penny

    I too started on bioidentical hormones about 5 weeks ago. WORLD of difference!!! Have not had one hot flash in over 3 weeks and sleeping much better. IT REALLY DOES WORK!

    July 24th, 2012, 2:12 pm
  4. Shirley W.

    Can you give me an idea of the cost and is it covered by insurance?

    July 24th, 2012, 2:51 pm
  5. Rose F

    I don’t know what to do! I am only 48 and have been going through menopause for the last 5 years. My doc put my on hrt for a couple of years, stopped and then the hot flashes came back worse than before so we started them again. Heart disease runs on both parents side of the family, my father’s sister had breast cancer. The hrt does seem to help, but I am still hot all the time. I have tried the herbal remedies with no help. I see my ob gyn in September and plan on talking to him about an alternative treatment.
    What are the bi-identical hormones?

    July 24th, 2012, 3:39 pm
  6. Doreen

    The only thing I found to help with the night sweats is a Chillow! All you do is fill with tap water and let it sit then insert between your pillow and pillow case. The Chillow keeps your pillow cool and pulls the heat away.

    July 24th, 2012, 5:56 pm
  7. Anita

    Hormone replacement was the best thing I ever did.. My mother died of breast cancer at age 39 so I was a little (a lot) scared but my mood swings were just so intense that I went on a low dose. After 8 years on them I finally am free of them and feel wonderful. It was so great to have something help me with the hot flashes and mood swings. I kept up my mamograms that I have had every year since I was 35. I was 49 when I went on the hormone replacement. I am thankful that I had something to ease the symptoms.

    July 24th, 2012, 6:13 pm
  8. Suzanne Vanderfeen

    I have been on HRT for 9 years. I get monthly shots.They will have to take them from my dying clutching hands! I LOVE LOVE LOVE them!

    July 24th, 2012, 6:34 pm
  9. Kathleen Mccullen

    Yes, I too use bio-identical hormones. After reading Suzanne Somers book. I asked my Dr. for the proper blood tests and been taking them for about 4 years. I take them in a pill form twice a day. If I forget to take a pill the hot flashes are back. 59 yrs. young!!! ;) . Kathy A.

    July 24th, 2012, 7:20 pm
  10. elaine

    I have fibromyalgia and my pain management doctor sent me to an OB-GYN for bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. He did several tests and wrote me a prerscription to be filled by a compounding pharmacist. Insurance did not cover this.

    I took the hormone for 6 months. When it was time to see my regular OB_GYN for my yearly physical, she had a hissy fit when she heard that I was taking bioidentical hormones!!! I was probably 60 years old when I took them and had not taken hormone before. She suggested I quit taking them immediately. She quoted the heart attacks and stroke possibility.

    Again, I am not having hot flashes, I am one continuous hot flash! My sleep is sporadic and my memory is gone. I have gained 15 lb that I cannot seem to shed. I am seriously considering taking the hormones again.

    July 24th, 2012, 8:36 pm
  11. Karen

    I too switched to bio identical after being on estrogen pills for 12 years. I was told that I don’t need progesterone because I don’t have a uterus but the prescribing ND disagrees. My cream is estrogen progesterone and testosterone. It has only been a few weeks so I can’t say that there is a big difference but I feel like I am on the right track. My gyn doesn’t believe in bioidenticals either but he does say that women should use HRT as long as they want to. No age limit or maximum length of time. He also feels that the Women’s health study was flawed and that the incidence of breast cancer was actually reduced slightly.

    July 26th, 2012, 8:23 am
  12. Vickie Hardeman

    I am 58 years old and i started peri- meniopause at the age of 26. It seem as though i have hot flashes all my life.Some time i sweat at night only and some time i sweat all day. I need to ask my doctor for that test.

    August 3rd, 2012, 4:56 pm
  13. Debi

    I was not doing too bad with hot flashes til 5 weeks ago, I started having them like crazy, while I was working out it felt like by shoulders were on fire, and I was so nauseous it was like I had the flu without the puking the only time I felt good was when I was sleeping I could not function. The Dr put me on the pill and is having me take AM/PM menapause which takes 4-5 weeks to get the full benefits. I had to totally quit caffeine, and before the 5 weeks had to quit any alcohol as that was setting me off on hot flashes, also had to stay out of the sun recently or felt like crap later. My five weeks are just about up and feeling much better oh and by the way those cold showers are wonderful.Have done that for over a year now. My Dr did a blood test to check my hormones and said I am at the tail end of peri-menapause. Am still doing research on menapause by the way ground flax seeds help also

    August 10th, 2012, 11:43 pm
  14. Euridice V.

    I am a 38 years old and I first started feeling symptoms of meneopause at age 30. It was brutal, I just had my second daughter when everything start. I felt like I was a different person EVERYTHING CHANGE; My body, feelings, memory, mod and specially my SEX DESIRES. I was suffering for 6 years, when last year a family member from the DR introduced me to the HRT. Since that HEAVEN came to me; however, my memory and sex desires not yet.

    August 13th, 2012, 2:19 pm

Leave a Reply