Preventing Osteoporosis with Hormone Replacement
Estrogen Replacement Therapy for Osteoporosis –
When a woman approaches menopause, her body will start to display symptoms of the sudden drop in estrogen that occurs, such as hot flashes, weight gain, mood swings, sleep disorders, and more. However, an unseen – but even more dangerous – consequence of menopause is the effect it has on a woman’s bones.
Estrogen, while primarily thought of as a “sex hormone,” is also essential to female bone health. Estrogen is responsible for stimulating the activity of the cells that produce bone – called “osteoblasts.” But when a woman’s estrogen level drops during menopause, these osteoblasts no longer effectively produce bone. And as the bones lose calcium, women are at grave danger of bone fractures.
Fortunately, for women nearing or during menopause, as well as women with a high risk for osteoporosis, estrogen replacement therapy may can be an effective osteoporosis preventative or treatment.
Preserving Bone Density with Estrogen Replacement
Estrogen replacement therapy was the very first FDA-approved treatment to prevent osteoporosis. And while there are now many other drugs and medications for osteoporosis, estrogen remains a mainstay of medical professionals to conserve bone mass and prevent osteoporosis-related fractures in post-menopausal women.
Because estrogen therapy is simply aimed at replacing the hormone’s that the body naturally produces, Estrogen replacement therapy is safe and appropriate for most women. There are only a small number of women who should nor use estrogen therapy, including women with breast or uterine cancer, decreased liver function or liver disease, or a recent history of blood clots. Estrogen replacement therapy is also not for pre-menopausal women or for men.
Typically, the best time to begin estrogen replacement therapy to prevent osteoporosis is during early menopause. However, studies show that the bone-preserving benefits of estrogen replacement can still be achieved, even if started more than a decade after the onset menopause.
Is Estrogen Replacement Safe for Treating Osteoporosis?
The North American Menopause Society, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, and The Endocrine Society have all stated that most healthy, menopausal women can safely use hormone replacement therapy.
Previously there were concerns that taking estrogen alone increased a woman’s risk for uterine cancer. However, taking progesterone hormones combined with estrogen greatly reduces this risk. And, according to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, 1 in 3 women over the age of 50 years old will experience a broken bone due to osteoporosis in their lifetime. So the risk of an osteoporosis related broken bone is significant.
Additionally, if a woman has had a hysterectomy (removal of your uterus) she can even safely take estrogen alone because there is no risk for developing uterine cancer.
Best Estrogen Replacement Method
Hormone Replacement Pellets are by far the best delivery method for replacing depleted estrogen levels. In fact studies have shown that use of estrogen pellets resulted in a four-fold increase in bone density over oral estrogen, and 2.5 times greater results than hormone patches.
Originally, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) consisted of synthetic hormones, that were made entirely in a lab. However, the bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT)pellets used by Dr. Ali in Birmingham, MI a consist of hormones extracted from a 100% natural source like plants. These bioidentical hormones replicate the exact molecular structure of the human body’s naturally produced hormones.
And, unlike hormone pills that put you on a daily roller coaster of hormone ups and downs, time-released pellets deliver hormones the way your body does – gradually and consistently over time from within the body.
Additionally, unlike oral pills, messy creams and unsightly patches, pellets only have to be administered once every four or five months. There are no pills to remember daily, and no messy creams to apply.
Estrogen Replacement Therapy – Birmingham, MI
Estrogen replacement therapy has been proven effective for decades at protecting post-menopausal women from the bone loss and fractures of osteoporosis. If you and your doctor believe estrogen replacement therapy is the right treatment for you, BHRT pellets offer the safest, most consistent, most effective and easiest to use form of hormone replacement.
