HRT, Bioidenticals & Menopause: Benefits & Risks

Take a wild and science-heavy ride through the world of hormone replacement therapy for women during their perimenopausal and menopausal years. Join Dr. Stephanie as she navigates the hormone maze and deciphers the difference between HRT and BHRT, all while exploring the somewhat baffling history of medical misconceptions that have left us wondering if HRT might just stand for "Hilariously Risky Treatment." Whether you're craving the full “dark roast” of scientific details or just want a "TLDR" hormone summary, we've got you covered in this episode!

Links Mentioned:

Women’s Health Initiative - https://www.whi.org

LIVE LONGER and Feel Better By Using These HEALTHY LIVING Tips | BETTER! with Ben Bikman - https://youtu.be/-4uAlbnP7lw?si=oEMsgyXBxnwpdR-K

The SCIENCE Of How Fat ACTUALLY Works! | Dr. Benjamin Bikman - https://youtu.be/L17CyhJskNw?si=SmCZGZCxG-0F1xXb

CDC Breast Cancer Statistics - https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/statistics/index.htm

Nurse’s Health Study - https://nurseshealthstudy.org

Book: Estrogen Matters - https://estrogenmatters.com

Lifetime Risk of Dying From Breast Cancer:
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/understanding-cancer-risk/lifetime-probability-of-developing-or-dying-from-cancer.html

Lifetime Risk of Developing Breast Cancer
https://www.breastcancer.org/facts-statistics

Lifetime Risk of CVD Development:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/1389613

Estrogen only increases uterine cancer:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1186789/

Estrogen + Progesterone nulls uterine CA:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3747849/

Ridiculous scare tactic announcing halting of WHI:
https://wayback.archive-it.org/org-350/20200921200315/https://www.nlm.nih.gov/databases/alerts/estrogen_progestin.html

Atypical Femoral Fractures
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3710007/

Reduction of risk of fractures w estrogen use:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7421945/

Estrogen reducing colorectal CA:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3836673/

Episode Overview:

0:00:00 Skepticism around hormone replacement therapy and mistreatment of women

0:05:08 Introduction to Menopause and Definition

0:07:55 Estrogen Plummets in Menopause, Symptoms and Effects

0:10:03 FSH Levels: Normal vs. Tighter Range

0:13:50 Optimal Range for Free T4 and Free T3 in Menopause

0:16:53 Estrogen and Cardiovascular Protection

0:19:31 The Benefits and Misconceptions of Estrogen

0:27:27 High Risk: Cardiovascular Disease vs Breast Cancer

0:29:12 Estrogen and Breast Cancer: A Common Misconception

0:29:36 Estrogen Environment and Breast Cancer Risk in Older Women

0:34:15 WHI Study: Nutritional and Hormone Replacement Arms

0:38:20 The Controversial Study and Rushed Press Release

0:41:31 Understanding Bioidentical Hormones

0:48:38 Calcium, Vitamin D, and Estrogen in Osteoporosis Treatment

0:52:02 The Benefits of HRT for Bone Health

1:02:10 Legal and medical disclaimer