By Dr. Richard Chern, M.D.
The Women’s Health Initiative Study (WHI) was started with the goal to prove that synthetic hormones worked as well as bio-identical hormones. Unfortunately, the results of this study were announced in a way that scared most women and physicians into stopping hormones of any kind with the belief that all hormones cause cancer, strokes and heart attacks.
Unfortunately, this is not the case at all. The WHI study actually shows a reduction in cancer, strokes and heart attacks with the use of bio-identical hormones. The study showed an increase in cancer, strokes and heart attacks with the use of synthetic hormones. Of course, the news only reported on the frightening side of the study and told the world that hormones are bad. This led most women to getting off of their hormones with the idea that no hormones means no cancer. This could not be further from the truth.
Women who do not receive bio-identical hormone replacement after menopause have over a 16% risk of getting breast cancer. So, no hormones means more cancer. In fact, breast cancer, strokes and heart attacks are the top three killers of post-menopausal women. Why? Because of a lack of testosterone and estrogen are associated with increases in cancer as well as many other disease processes.
Women in the WHI study who received bio-identical estrogen replacement reduced their cancer risk to 6%. That’s a 10% reduction in breast cancer. In addition, a recent study of women who received bio-identical testosterone therapy showed more than a 50% reduction in their breast cancer risk.
There is no doubt that bio-identical hormone replacement therapy reduces the risk of cancer as well as many other diseases. If your doctor says otherwise, then he or she has not been keeping up with the times. In fact, the breast cancer study I am referring to was presented at the 2021 North American Menopause Society meeting in Washington, D.C., just this last month.
If you want to do everything you can to feel better and live longer after menopause (or even before menopause), then you should come see us today. We are able to get the proper full panel of labs and review them with you. Remember, normal labs are not necessarily optimal for your health. So, just because your doctor says everything is normal does not mean you are not at increased risk for cancer and disease.
Dr. Richard Chern, MD not only provides hormone therapy to men and women, but also teaches hormone therapy to doctors throughout the country. Dr. Richard Chern, M.D. is a platinum BioTE provider and runs one of the largest BioTE hormone clinics in the country in Miramar Beach. Call 850-837-1271 for an appointment.
