The trials done back in the early 2000s (which led to the recommendation of avoiding use of HRT if possible) did not use any bioidentical hormone replacements. And while there may not have been large trials done to support the use of BHRT, there are plenty of trials (not huge ones) that do. My GYN has copies of bibliographies that he hands out to patients who wish to have those sources on hand. And as I said earlier, he says he has cardiologists that are now referring female patients to him to help minimize heart disease.
I am going in for blood work tomorrow morning. When I’m at his office, I will try to remember to ask him for the bibliography and would be willing to privately share the resources with anyone here who is interested.
My endocrinologist, at the peak of his career, was one of the top three endocrinologists/endocrinology surgeons in the country. He still maintains office hours two days a week despite being in his mid to late 80s. He keeps current on all this stuff, and was very pleased to hear I am on BHRT (despite having a history of endometrial cancer) - he told me to avoid taking estrogen orally, too (not that my GYN even offered that to me). Many years ago, he was pushing vitamin D supplements, long before most mainstream physicians were willing to check for vitamin D levels. So I trust he consistently stays current on new studies. He also told me a few years ago to not take calcium supplements - and it seems like in the last year or two, I’m finally starting to see articles being written for lay people about not taking calcium supplements, that they can increase your risk for heart disease.
I realize you have to take all this with a grain of salt because we know medical recommendations have their cycles - just look at the reversal we saw in recommending very few eggs per week to avoid high cholesterol… now eggs are being praised for their being one of the most complete proteins that do not effect cholesterol in negative ways. All you can do is hope your physicians are staying current with trends and best practices.
OK - got all the paper work I knew my GYN had at his office, and would be willing to share information with anyone here who wants. However, I’m leaving town tomorrow and spent all day running errands and packing so I’m not prepared to share it just yet.
When I get back in town, I will scan all the documents and email them to whoever would like to share their private email with me via PM. I will keep any email addresses shared with me confidential (I won’t send out a group email).
I have:
Recommended reading list
A very brief article (1.5 pages) he wrote summarizing the use of progesterone (with some studies cited)
A 2.5-page article he wrote summarizing why the 2002 WHI study does not address women who take BHRT, along with a bibliography of 22 sources to support his view
A 4.5-page article written for his patients titled, “Research supports the safety of bioidenticals” - it also has lots of cited studies
A 1-page article on Testosterone Replacement Benefits Androgen-Deficient Women - again, he cites studies
Remember, this is just one physician in practice by himself, doing his own research and making recommendations to his patients based on what he has found works. I’m sure if you look hard enough, you can find physicians out there who would find it difficult to accept some of these studies and findings. But using BHRT gave me my life back after surgical menopause. Everyone has to find a physician that they are comfortable working with.
Just want to speak up in support of Duavee, which another poster disliked. I’ve been on it–very happily–for over a year and a half. One pill a day, and the hot flashes that had been plaguing me day and night are almost entirely gone.
I find I have become lazy in tracking when I change my Combipatch. I haven’t been sleeping well and I realized I had pulled my last half Patch off at Thanksgiving because it kept getting stuck to my pants and hadn’t put a new one on when I returned home. Two days ago I put on a new half Patch and the last two nights I haven’t had the wake up at 3 am and not fall back asleep till 6 am. I feel so much better when I get a full solid sleep.
My insurance doesn’t cover any HRT. The patches aren’t so bad since I cut them but the Estrace was ridiculously expensive. My internist suggested I order an equivalent from Canada. I did that for about a year until I switched to a compounded estrogen vaginal cream prescribed by my Urologist. The compounded cream has a lot less estradiol in it. I pay about $60 a tube. She also prescribes a lesser amount with each application so I get a lot less estrogen. It seems to help reduce UTI and does a decent job to reduce dryness. The reduced amount does not increase my sex drive. The Estrace on the other hand was WOW. A compounded cream with a small amount of estrogen might be enough for those who are just experiencing dryness.
Better late than never. I finally got around to scanning those papers I mentioned in #61. If anyone wants them, please PM me your email address and I will send them to you.