Some fuss on hormone therapy

DEAR Dr. Fritz,

Good day to you. I am one of your avid readers. I have some questions about hormone therapy. I am really quite confused. I am 40 years old and I have undergone removal of my uterus and ovaries. Now, could I use hormone therapy to prevent bone loss after menopause or to resolve menopausal symptoms, like hot flashes or vaginal dryness? I have heard that hormone therapy can have benefits in preventing chronic conditions. If this is true, what are they?

Thank you and I hope to hear from you soon. More power!

Cindy G.

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Dear Cindy G.,

Let me tell you straight women should not use hormone therapy to prevent chronic conditions, like bone loss after menopause.

As a matter of fact, the USPSTF (US Preventive Services Task Force) recommends against the use of estrogen for the prevention of chronic conditions in postmenopausal women who have had a hysterectomy- just like you.

However, this recommendation does not apply to women younger than 50 who have undergone surgical menopause. This only means that you are exempted from this sanction, since you are only 40 years old and you have your uterus and your ovaries removed. So, you can get yourself hormone therapy to work for you a lot!

Sure, there are some benefits that you can get from hormone therapy. This would depend on what kind of hormone you are using.

If you would use estrogen plus estrogen, you would have fewer fractures and lower risk of diabetes. If you would be getting estrogen alone, you would have fewer fractures, lower risk of invasive breast cancer and the lesser would be your chance to die from breast cancer.

However, this does not free you from potential harms as hormone therapy certainly has its own share of some unlikely dangers.

Estrogen plus progestin hormone therapy can probably lead to the following conditions:

* Higher risk of invasive breast cancer
* Higher risk of breast cancer death
* Higher risk of stroke
* Higher risk of blood clots in the leg or deep venous thrombosis
* Higher risk of blood clots in the lung
* Higher risk of gallbladder disease
* Higher risk of dementia
* Higher risk of urinary incontinence
* Higher risk of lung cancer death

On the other hand, estrogen alone hormone therapy can probably give you the following problems:

* Higher risk of stroke
* Higher risk of blood clots in the leg or deep venous thrombosis
* Higher risk of gallbladder disease
* Higher risk of urinary incontinence

Well, Cindy, I?ve laid down to you the comfort and the perils of hormone therapy, it is up for you to decide what is best for you. Good luck!

Dr. Fritz

(For your questions, you may send them to Dear Dr. Fritz, c/o Sun.Star Davao, Granlan Building, R. Castillo St., Davao City or you e-mail them to dokfritz@yahoo.com.)