February 2009

Q. Good morning Dr. Savard, I am 68 do I have to be concern with hormone replacement?

A. Thanks for reading the newsletter and writing to me. Although there is a tremendous amount of confusion about the risks and benefits of hormone therapy in women after menopause, the research is overwhelming strong that older women should not begin hormone therapy solely to protect their heart. On the other hand, there is growing research that younger women who have symptoms at menopause such as hot flashes and sleep problems may benefit from taking a small dose of hormones. I do recommend however that they consider taking the lowest dose they need - and that they use the estrogen patch form which bypasses the liver and is much safer. And for women who still have their uterus, adding 10 days of a progesterone medication such as Prometrium to balance out the estrogen is important. I consider this type of regimen as close to bioidentical as you can get - yet lots of science supports it as well. I am writing a book right now on this topic and it should be available this summer.