News Flash From the TFH Women's Institute:
Study on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Halted
On July 9th the National Institute of Health (NIH) announced that the Women's Health Initiative study of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was halted due to increased risk of breast cancer, heart attack and stroke. The 16,000 + healthy postmenopausal women in the study have been advised to stop the combination of conjugated equine estrogens and medroxyprogesterone acetate (brand name PremPro). The overall health risks outweigh the benefits.

RESPONSE BY DR. SHEFRIN:
Please note that the news reports state the terms estrogen and progesterone. These compounds that are tested are not human identical compounds, they are synthetic and altered forms. It has been known for years, that PremPro/Provera inhibit the cardiovascular benefits of estrogens.

Studies have shown that human identical estrogens (especially estriol) dilate the cardio vessels and that human identical progesterone facilitates (improves this dilating effect).

It should also be noted that women develop cardio vessel spasm, which is the cause of most heart attacks in women, whereas, men develop inflammation and fatty deposits which block the vessel (a very different mechanism).

This news story is just another reason why natural human identical hormones are the preferred choice for women.