Category Archives: Hormone Replacement Therapy

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 22-Jan-2014 Contact: Emma Dickinson edickinson@bmj.com 44-020-738-36529 BMJ-British Medical Journal Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) taken regularly for six months after a knee or hip replacement seems to cut the risk of repeat surgery by around 40%, indicates a large population based study published online in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. National data for England and Wales indicate that more than 2% of procedures typically have to be repeated within three years, primarily because of osteolysis (75% of cases). Osteolysis occurs when particles from the implant seep into the surrounding tissue, prompting an inflammatory response which then destroys the bone around the implant. And joint replacement surgery rates are set to rise substantially as the population ages and the prevalence of obesity increases, say the authors. The research team assessed the likelihood of repeat joint replacement surgery among women who required a first knee or hip replacement between 1986 and 2006. The women's details had been entered into the primary care General Practice Research Database (GPRD), which holds millions of anonymised medical records for patients across the UK. More than 21,000 eligible women who met the criteria had not used HRT, while more than 3500 had done so … Continue reading →

Women who took hormone replacement therapy for more than a year after surgery were 50% less likely to require repeat surgery, according to new research. Photograph: Matt Kavanagh Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) taken for over a year by women after a knee or hip replacement appears to cut the risk of repeat surgery being needed by more than half, according to research published today. Figures from England and Wales show that two in every 100 operations have to be carried out again within three years because of osteolysis, where parts of the implant seep into surrounding tissue. The bodys immune system reacts against the seepage, causing inflammation which destroys the bone around the implants. Each year, 160,000 such operations are carried out in 400 hospitals, but the numbers are expected to rise sharply in coming years as the population ages. Women who took HRT for six months, or more, after surgery were 38 per cent less likely to require repeat surgery, while those who did so for more than a year were more than 50 per cent less likely to need it, researchers found. Joint replacements will also increase in coming years because of the impact of obesity on individuals, … Continue reading →

Washington, Mar. 27 : Researchers have engineered ovaries that showed sustained release of the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone. The proof-of-concept study suggests the possibility of engineering artificial ovaries in the lab to provide a more natural option for hormone replacement therapy for women. "A bioartificial ovary has the potential to secrete hormones in a natural way based on the body's needs, rather than the patient taking a specific dose of drugs each day," Emmanuel C. Opara, Ph.D., professor of regenerative medicine Wake Forest Baptist and senior researcher, said. Tamer Yalcinkaya, M.D., associate professor and section head of reproductive medicine at Wake Forest Baptist, said "This research project is interesting because it offers hope to replace natural ovarian hormones in women with premature ovarian failure or in women going through menopause. "The graft format would bring certain advantages: it would eliminate pharmacokinetic variations of hormones when administered as drugs and would also allow body's feedback mechanisms to control the release of ovarian hormones," he said. It involves encapsulating ovarian cells inside a thin membrane that allows oxygen and nutrients to enter the capsule, but prevents patients from rejecting the cells, with this scenario, functional ovarian tissue from donors can be … Continue reading →

A federal appeals court today upheld a judge's 2012 ruling that transgender inmates should have access to transition-related care while they are incarcerated. Michelle Kosilek In a ruling published today, a three-judge panel of the First Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that transgender inmates have a constitutional right to access transition-related care, including gender-confirming surgeries. In the 2-1 ruling, the First Circuit upheld a 2012 decision from U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf in the case of Michelle Kosilek, a transgender woman currently serving a life sentence for the 1990 murder of Cheryl McCaul. The First Circuit's ruling cited the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment as well as excessive bail and fines imposed on those in prison. Today's ruling marks the first time an appeals court has explicitly declared that gender-confirming surgeries do qualify as medically necessary care, the denial of which would constitute cruel and unusual punishment. Kosilek has filed several lawsuits in efforts to treat her gender dysphoria, each time claiming that witholding medically necessary care as hormone replacement therapy and gender-confirming surgeries are considered by the American Medical Association is a violation of her constitutional rights. In 2002, Kosilek sucessfully sued … Continue reading →

Hormone therapy: Is it right for you? Hormone therapy was once routinely used to treat menopausal symptoms and protect long-term health. Then large clinical trials showed health risks. What does this mean to you? By Mayo Clinic Staff Hormone replacement therapy medications containing female hormones to replace the ones the body no longer makes after menopause used to be a standard treatment for women with hot flashes and other menopause symptoms. Hormone therapy (as it's now called) was also thought to have the long-term benefits of preventing heart disease and possibly dementia. Use of hormone therapy changed abruptly when a large clinical trial found that the treatment actually posed more health risks than benefits for one type of hormone therapy, particularly when given to older postmenopausal women. As the concern about health hazards attributed to hormone therapy grew, doctors became less likely to prescribe it. Hormone therapy is no longer recommended for disease prevention, such as heart disease or memory loss. However, further review of clinical trials and new evidence show that hormone therapy may be a good choice for certain women, depending on their risk factors. The benefits of hormone therapy depend, in part, on whether you take systemic … Continue reading →

healthsection Health Topics A-Z Healthy Living Featured Conditions eHow Now eHow Health Conditions & Treatments Hormone Issues What Is Hormone Replacement Therapy for Men? James Rutter Since 2005, James Rutter has worked as a freelance journalist for print and Internet publications, including the News of Delaware County, Main Line Times and Broad Street Review. As a former chemist, college professor and competitive weightlifter, he writes about science, education and exercise. Rutter earned a B.A. in philosophy and biology from Albright College and studied philosophy and cognitive science at Temple University. Hormone replacement therapy is a medical treatment used to alleviate the effects of low testosterone in men. Patients who need it experience a range of symptoms or might suffer from injury or disease causing low natural testosterone. After checking testosterone levels and ruling out other conditions, doctors can prescribe a variety of forms of testosterone. Patients who suffer from certain conditions should avoid therapy as it results in a number of side effects. Hormone replacement therapy is a medical treatment regimen used to alleviate the effects of low testosterone production in men as they age. In human males, the production of testosterone peaks between the ages of 18 to 25 … Continue reading →

More than a decade after a bombshell study frightened women off hormone replacement therapy, Canadian researchers say fears over one of those hormones progesterone have been overblown. A new short-term study by the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health suggests that progesterone alone does not appear to increase the risk of heart attack or other diseases of the blood vessels when used for hot flashes and night sweats. The finding comes 12 years after the landmark Womens Health Initiative Trial reported that a combination regimen of estrogen plus progestin, a synthetic form of progesterone, heightened the risk of heart attack, breast cancer and stroke in women. Progesterone began to be blamed for heart attack risks, because estrogen was understood to be so good, said Dr. Jerilynn Prior, a professor of endocrinology at the U of B.C. and head of the Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research. That was just the mindset. Hormone use plummeted. Many women were told to go off hormones and to use fans or face cloths for hot flashes instead. But when researchers took a second look at the data in 2007 a different picture emerged: the risk of heart disease was higher in … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 15-Jan-2014 Contact: Dr. Jerilynn Prior jerilynn.prior@ubc.ca 604-875-5927 University of British Columbia Treatment with progesterone, a naturally occurring hormone that has been shown to alleviate severe hot flashes and night sweats in post-menopausal women, poses little or no cardiovascular risk, according to a new study by the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health. The findings, published today in PLOS ONE, help to dispel a major impediment to widespread use of progesterone as a treatment for hot flashes and night sweats, said lead author Dr. Jerilynn C. Prior, a professor of endocrinology and the head of Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research. For decades, women used a combination of synthetic estrogen and progesterone to reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes and night sweats, as well as to prevent osteoporosis. Use of this so-called "hormone replacement therapy" dropped dramatically after 2002, when a large study revealed that it increased risk of heart disease, breast cancer, strokes and other serious conditions. To evaluate the cardiovascular risk of using progesterone to alleviate symptoms, Prior and her collaborators recruited 110 healthy Vancouver-area women who had recently reached postmenopause (a year after the final menstruation), giving half of them … Continue reading →

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) January 15, 2014 Dr. Leigh Ann Scott has announced the opening of her new office in Irving to provide Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy. Bio-identical hormones are a vital treatment option and medical science supports their use in improving overall health while diminishing the effects of aging. Most patients are surprised at how helpful they can be as part of an integrated program that focuses on wellness. Considering all available options helps patients achieve their goals of being healthy and feeling younger," she explained. Dr. Scott is devoted to understanding what her patients want and need. Her practice approach is to listen carefully to her patient's experiences, analyze their symptoms, and then determine the appropriate lab testing that will help pinpoint the "root cause" of why a patient feels a certain way. The result of this medical analysis is a specific detailed plan that will include natural supplement and hormonal alternatives tailored for each individual situation. Her understanding and knowledge of womens health helps her design the right protocol of hormone balance, nutrition, supplement support, weight management and if indicated, food sensitivity testing. Dr. Scott graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor degree in Zoology from Texas A&M … Continue reading →

The Office of Personnel Management is reviewing the insurance policies currently offered to agency employees, evaluating whether or not to include transition-related care on future plans. The federal Office of Personnel Management is in the process of evaluating its healthcare benefit program offered to agency employees specifically looking into exclusions for transition-related care often sought by transgender workers. Should OPM opt to add transition-specific coverage to insurance policies for its more than 6,000 employees, it would become the first federal agency to do so. Transition-related care may consist of hormone replacement therapy, mental health services, and gender-confirming surgeries. These services, currently excluded under federal health insurance plans, can end up costing an individual tens of thousands of dollars out-of-pocket, putting the medically necessary treatment outside the financial reach of many of those who need it most. According to Federal Times, any changes to OPM's insurance policies will be shown as coverage options in future policy offerings. In the meantime, the U.S. Department ofHealth and Human Servicesis evaluating whether or not the exclusion of transition-related care in health insurance plans actually constitutes a violation of federal law. The agency's findings could lead to increased trans coverage in insurance plans nationwide. Read … Continue reading →