HRT FAQ - Part 1

Is Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) a magic cure all?

The answer is obvious but many companies will have patients believe that HRT is the fountain of youth and make claims that it will reverse the aging process and make them feel like they did in their 20s. Unfortunately, that is an advertising ploy in order to get patient to sign up for contracts with hefty monthly fees for their services. As we age, our hormones will start to deplete and in order to maintain a high quality of life, most patients will benefit from HRT in order to help keep their quality of life well past retirement age. With modern medicine, humans are able to live longer as we have more advanced medications, procedures, surgeries and other therapies to help lengthen life. The goal of HRT should be to maintain safe levels of hormones that decline with aging in order to safely maintain a better quality of life as the patient ages. When we age, we lose hormones and this can occur as young as mid 30s and early 40s. In today’s world, that is almost half the lifespan of the average American. Without adequate hormone levels this can lead to other chronic diseases and clinical morbidities. It does not cure all disease and is not intended to make you feel like you did when you were 23 years old. Those that claim that, often use high dose therapies that can often be harmful as they are above physiologic norms.

Is HRT safe?

The answer to this question is, it depends. For most, using a bioidentical form of HRT is often safe with the benefits outweighing any potential risks. This is very patient specific. Bioidentical hormones are molecularly the same to the hormones produced by the body in younger years. This means the body is aware of its molecular structure and how to manage it appropriately. For some, though, this still may have some risks that outweigh the benefits. Those who have history HER2 positive breast cancer for example or men with recent history of prostate cancer. Sex hormones are anabolic which means they make things grow. This is beneficial for our bones and muscles but can be detrimental if we have hormone dependent cancers deep within our tissues. It is important to have a hormone provider who understand these risks and benefits and can customize a treatment plan for each patient individually. Often this includes BHRT. Sometimes this may require a more naturopathic approach without the use of prescription hormones.