I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I would marry HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) if I could. I was in my late 40s and experiencing hot flashes – nay – nuclear flashes, several times an hour, round the clock. As a result, I was absolutely miserable and irritable and I was losing hope …
Continue ReadingRethinking ERT to Ease Menopause Symptoms
The New York Times wrote a blog about rethinking the use of hormones to ease menopause symptoms. The biggest debate over Estrogen Replacement Therapy or ERT is whether the risks outweigh the benefits. Such risks include breast cancer, heart disease, stroke and blood clots. The Women’s Health Initiative was a large randomized study that showed …
Continue ReadingShould Women Be Worried About Using Local Estrogen For Postmenopausal Atrophy?
Many women are concerned about using estrogen for relief of menopausal symptoms, due to all of the negative press that estrogen has received. But there is a difference in safety and side effect profile based on how the estrogen is used. If your symptoms are mostly related to dryness and painful intercourse (vaginal atrophy) then …
Continue ReadingTopical hormones — keep away from children and pets!
Pediatricians and veterinarians around the country are reporting a strange phenomenon: children are showing signs of premature puberty and spayed dogs and cats (even puppies and kittens) are suddenly becoming hormonal. Although there can be a myriad of factors contributing to this trend, one culprit has concretely been identified- topical hormone transference. Estrogen and testosterone …
Continue ReadingHow your birth control pills could be preventing pregnancy and your interest in sex!
I am seeing an increase of younger patients coming to our office complaining of low desire or having no interest in sex. Some of these patients are in their early 20’s. Yup…20’s. Hormone levels naturally begin to decline in your 30’s, so what is going on? Although it is difficult to isolate one major cause …
Continue Reading