Why Use Hormone Replacement Therapy?

Believe it or not, heart disease, not breast cancer, is the number one killer of women in the U.S. American Heart Association statistics show approximately one in 27 women die of breast cancer each year, while nearly one out of every two women succumb to cardiovascular disease.

Most women do not experience heart problems until after menopause, usually around age 55. Up until that time, the female hormone estrogen, which is produced in the body, is thought to protect women against heart disease. After menopause, hormone levels decrease. This is why many physicians encourage women to go on hormone replacement therapy at menopause.

There is some question as to whether or not all women will benefit from hormonal therapy. A recent study placed women with known heart disease on estrogen and progesterone and compared them to patients given placebos. At four years, there was no difference in their heart events, such as heart attack, death, or need for bypass, although there was a trend toward less events at four years after starting the hormone than at one year.

"According to scientific information available, it would seem proper and beneficial for a menopausal woman who is not a candidate for breast or uterine cancer, or recurrent phlebitis, to be placed on hormone replacement therapy. The physiological benefits of raising HDL (good cholesterol), lowering LDL (bad cholesterol), relaxing arteries, and the clinically observed reduced incidence of heart disease in women treated since menopause, all seem to show the benefit outweighs the risk," says Dr. Arthur Springer, a Texas Heart Institute cardiologist.

Other risk factors for heart disease include obesity, a high fat diet, a lack of exercise, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, and diabetes.

"Post-menopausal women who control their risk factors and use hormone replacement therapy could significantly increase their chances of a good quality of life at an older age," says Dr. Springer. "They are not only helping to protect themselves against heart disease, but also they are likely to be guarding themselves against osteoporosis and stroke."

- From Texas Heart Institute

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Courtesy of Texas Medical Center News

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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URL: http://www.tmc.edu/health_briefs/12_01_99-hormone.html