That it happened again was predictable. Besides, I was talking about my fear that some women were being encouraged by celebrities and private doctors to take HRT they didn’t really need. I went so far as to say that the incessant focus on the negative aspects of menopause was tantamount to terrorizing and made women think it would always be hell, when in fact it isn’t. This did not go down well with Davina McCall, who has become a tireless advocate for HRT after her own positive experience. He wrote on Instagram that my article was “really inaccurate” – but wouldn’t say much more. Please feel free to contact Davina if you find anything that needs correction. Before I spoke last week about the menopause revolution, I was, I’ll admit, apprehensive. I have been targeted by HRT activists before. I feel like every time I write about evidence-based menopause treatment, I get accused of being ill-informed, even spreading misinformation, writes Dr Ellie Cannon Sexual health expert Samantha Evans, a former nurse who appeared in Davina’s C4 documentary Sex, Mind And The Menopause, also said: “Dr Ellie Cannon often gives the wrong advice on menopause to the Mail… she seems to dislike really the menopause community.’ These comments – and there were many others like them – seemed to ignore the fact that I advocated a nuanced, individualistic approach that may or may not include HRT. Like I said, it wasn’t unexpected. But this time something else happened. There was a huge groundswell of support from the medical community and women in general. I received several messages from doctors who admitted that they share my concerns. There were posts online from patients who said they felt “guilty” or “anti-feminist” for not taking HRT in this new era of medical menopause, and a flood of emails from readers with similar views, all of whom applauded The Mail on Sunday. for highlighting what has become a highly controversial issue. On Twitter, University College London professor Joyce Harper, a leading voice for women’s health, wrote: “I think we’re screwed with HRT. Yes, it’s great for some women. But not all women need or want it. And some people can’t stand it. I agree with Dr Ellie.” She later added: “A lot of women don’t want to take HRT and we shouldn’t be guilted into that.” Davina McCall (above, at a rally outside Parliament) has become a tireless advocate for HRT after her own positive experience. He wrote on Instagram that my article was “really inaccurate” – but wouldn’t say much more. Please feel free to contact Davina if you find anything that needs correction Catherine Harland of the website Menopause Mentor added: “It’s no wonder women are confused by the conflicting narrative of menopause. There is evidence based information and then there is terrorism. It irritates me”. And nutritionist Jackie Lynch wrote that it “echoes many of my thoughts”, adding: “I worry about the fear-mongering messages around menopause. While HRT can be life-changing for some, it is not for everyone, nor is it the panacea it may appear to be.’ I could not agree more. Many people also pointed out that my article did not mention the long-term benefits of taking HRT – and there was a reason for that. Social media has been abuzz with claims that these drugs, which supplement levels of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone, can stave off some of the worst diseases of aging. Campaigner Kate Muir, who produced Davina’s documentary, wrote on Instagram that my piece “fails to understand the long-term benefits of body-identical HRT [a common form prescribed on the NHS] – reduction of osteoporosis, colon cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and dementia. “Failure to recognize that HRT can give women a healthier and less painful later life is either ignorance or medical malpractice. It is claims like these that have, no doubt, fired up the country’s private menopause specialists. It’s impossible to know how much the industry is worth today, but one very vocal menopause GP, Dr Louise Newson, has admitted she has a waiting list of more than 8,000 women at her Newson Health practice. An initial appointment there is £295. I’ll let you do the math. Dr. Newson told a webinar last year for the International Menopause Society that HRT “reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by about 50 percent.” He added: “If you compare the benefit of using a statin or blood pressure-lowering drug with the numbers for reducing the risk of taking HRT, the winner is HRT.” These are shocking claims. But how true is it? NHS guidelines make it clear that HRT should be prescribed for severe menopausal symptoms and in younger postmenopausal women who are at risk of osteoporosis. A statement issued by professional bodies representing menopausal care specialists – the British Menopause Society, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society of Endocrinology – is also very clear on this. He says: “For most women, HRT has a favorable benefit/risk profile. However, HRT should not be used without a clear indication and should not be used for the sole purpose of preventing disease.’ In other words, unless your menopausal symptoms are affecting your quality of life, you shouldn’t take it. Why; Well, for that we have to look at the evidence. It’s very easy to pick out studies that look like they prove what you want to hear. But the fact is, when analyzing any of the reported benefits, there is only one study that is considered the gold standard – a huge US clinical trial of 27,000 women called the Women’s Health Initiative, which divided women into three groups to receive HRT in various forms: either estrogen and progesterone, only estrogen or a placebo pill. What about the claim that HRT works better than statins or blood pressure drugs to reduce heart attack risk? It just isn’t like that. As I said, there is some evidence that HRT may provide some protection, but hundreds of clinical trials have shown the same thing: statins and blood pressure drugs reduce the chances of heart attack and stroke in almost everyone who takes them, he says. . Dr Ellie (photo) It started in 1992 and has been following women ever since. And it’s good news when it comes to bone health. For women with osteoporosis, fractures were a third less likely in those treated with either estrogen-only HRT or estrogen plus progesterone. But the picture with everything else they claim is murkier. Let’s start with the cardio benefits. There’s no doubt that menopause is bad news for the heart. Falling estrogen levels change the way we store fat, which increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease in women. And it can cause insomnia, again a risk factor for heart problems. The question is, can HRT protect against these changes? The answer is yes, in women under 45 who have premature menopause due to illness or hysterectomy. However, the medical body Cochrane Collaboration’s analysis found that in women aged 50-59 who took HRT, ten in 1,000 ended up with heart disease, compared with 18 in 1,000 in those who did not take HRT.

It is a fact

A hormone replacement therapy drug, called Premarin, is made from the urine of pregnant horses. The body produces three main types of estrogen: estradiol during the reproductive years, estriol during pregnancy, and estrone after menopause.

The authors say the difference is too small to mean anything. Women on HRT in this age group were also more likely to develop blood clots – 11 in 1,000 compared with six in 1,000 not taking HRT. And the older you are, the fewer these heart-related benefits, and the greater the risk of strokes and blood clots – a risk that increases the longer you stay on HRT, the Cochrane study found. More recent evidence suggests that these risks are greatly reduced if you take estrogen alone as a patch or gel, but we don’t have long-term insight into these drugs. Obviously, if you are struggling with severe symptoms, HRT will change your life. But experts agree: you shouldn’t take HRT just to prevent heart disease. What about the claim that HRT works better than statins or blood pressure drugs to reduce heart attack risk? It just isn’t like that. As I said, there is some evidence that HRT may provide some protection, but hundreds of clinical trials have shown the same thing: statins and blood pressure drugs reduce the chances of heart attack and stroke in almost everyone who takes them. There is no comparison, and frankly, I and many of my medical colleagues are horrified that any doctor would suggest this. As one cardiologist told me: “HRT is not going to lower blood pressure and it is not going to prevent stroke.” It’s the same problem with claims that HRT prevents type 2 diabetes. Many clinical trials have shown that it can delay the onset of the disease by protecting against the accumulation of fat around the waist – a risk factor for type 2 – but also by improving how the body uses insulin. Kate Muir’s book Everything You Need to Know About Menopause lists a review of the evidence that supports this claim – but this study makes it clear that HRT should not be used to protect against diabetes. Another big claim is that HRT prevents dementia – featured in Davina McCall’s documentary. It refers to an American study of 400,000 women that found those who used HRT were 58% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s. However, the study should be read with caution: women who can afford HRT in the US private health care system are wealthier, healthier and less at risk of dementia. And in 2002, women with any form of heart disease…