Do Bioidentical Hormones Cause Blood Clots

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Article References:

1 Rossouw JE, Anderson GL, Prentice RL, et al. Risks and benefits of estrogen plus progestin in healthy postmenopausal women: principal results From the Womens Health Initiative randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2002 288:321-333.2 Schwartz ET1, Holtorf K. Hormones in wellness and disease prevention: common practices, current state of the evidence, and questions for the future. Prim Care. 2008 Dec 35:669-705. doi: 10.1016/j.pop.2008.07.015.3 Moskowitz D. A comprehensive review of the safety and efficacy of bioidentical hormones for the management of menopause and related health risks. Altern Med Rev. 2006 Sep 11:208-23.

What Causes Weight Gain During Menopause

Weight gain during menopause can be caused by a number of different factors including hormonal changes and is commonly felt most keenly around the stomach area. However, it is important to look at the full picture and take a holistic approach when determining the cause of weight gain during menopause, as lifestyle, mental health and genetic factors could all play a role.

As you get older your metabolism slows down and your body burns calories at a slower rate. If therefore, you continue to eat in the same way as you always have done but dont increase the exercise you do, you are likely to experience weight gain during menopause.

Similarly, many people reduce the amount of exercise they do as they get older, which leads to muscle breakdown and increases fat. Unhealthy eating continues to be a big risk factor for gaining weight during menopause, particularly when combined with a slower metabolism.

Looking at your family history can also be an indicator of potential weight issues during menopause, as a genetic predisposition to weight gain at this time is common.

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Are There Any Scientifically Proven Advantages For Rbhrt Over Conventional Hrt

Tolerance

Progestogens may not be alike with regard to potential adverse metabolic effects or associated breast cancer risk when combined with long-term estrogen therapy. Micronised progesterone and some progestogens have specific beneficial effects that could justify their use besides their expected actions on the endometrium. Synthetic analogues of progesterone bind to the glucocorticoid, mineralocorticoid and androgen receptors. This can lead to unwanted side effects such as fluid retention, acne and weight gain. Progestogens and progesterone can lower mood through stimulation of the neurotransmitter gamma amino butyric acid whilst progesterone has sedative effects through its intermediate metabolites, progestogens can cause PMS-type side effects including anxiety and irritability.

Venous thromboembolism

It is well recognised that unlike oral estrogen, transdermal estrogen does not appear to increase the risk of VTE. Observational and case control data suggest that the use of certain progestogens e.g. dydrogesterone and micronised progesterone may reduce the increased risk of VTE conferred by oral estrogen, compared to that noted with other synthetic progestogens.

Cardiovascular risks

Endometrial protection

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Do You Have A History Of Blood Clots Or An Inherited Or Acquired Blood Clotting Disorder

Theres more information you may need:

When entering menopause, experts say women with a history of blood clots should only use estrogen or estrogen and progestin if they are taking anticoagulation or blood thinning medication. For women who are not taking anticoagulants and who have a family history of blood clots or a history of blood clots themselves, hormone therapies increase the risk of potentially life-threatening blood clots.

For More Information About Blood Clots, Visit:

The information and materials on this site are provided for general information purposes only. You should not rely on the information provided as a substitute for actual professional medical advice, care, or treatment. This site is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment, or services to you or any individual. If you believe you have a medical emergency, call 911 immediately.

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Myths About Hormone Replacement Therapy

For millions of people, the effects of aging can be devastating. Night sweats, mood swings, weight fluctuations and libido issues can range from mild to debilitating. Different treatment options exist, but few people understand the true benefits of BHRT. HWC of Texas believes that bioidentical HRT can work for men and women who are going through difficult physical and emotional symptoms associated with aging, and we offer a wide range of unique programs to address individual problems. We want consumers to be aware of some important misconceptions surrounding bioidentical HRT as well as the truth behind the myths.

Myth #1: Hormone replacement therapy isnt safe.

Despite what consumers may be led to believe, this industry is just as regulated as the pharmaceutical industry that administers synthetic hormone treatments. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, which works even better with a persons biological structure is safer alternative to synthetic hormones.

Myth #2: You can get cancer from hormone replacement treatments.

Myth #3: Bio-Identical hormone treatments lead to blood clots.

Myth #4: BHRT only addresses symptoms when theyre present.

Myth #5: Bioidentical HRT only works for naturally induced menopause.

Myth #6: After menopause, theres no reason to continue HRT.

Myth #7: Only women benefit from bio-identical HRT.

Myth #8: Hormone replacement treatments wont address weight issues.

Myth #9: Synthetic hormone treatments work better because theyre real.

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How Can You Reduce Your Risk

For women looking to avoid the risk of blood clots connected to hormone therapy, the troublesome physical effects of menopause, such as mood changes, hot flashes, sleeplessness and vaginal dryness, can be managed without estrogen for symptomatic relief. It is also important to keep in mind that most women, but not all women, will experience the severity of menopause symptoms for about six months before they begin to subside.

Increased Risk Of Gallbladder Disease

Gallbladder disease is a range of conditions that adversely affect the gallbladder and its functions. These conditions include gallbladder inflammation, gallstones, bile duct blockage, and gallbladder infection. The gallbladder is responsible for storing the bile the liver produces before it moves into the small intestine to aid in digestion. Bile is released from the gallbladder into the duodenum through the sphincter of Oddi. However, when something is causing constriction of this sphincter, the bile will stay in the gallbladder too long. This mechanism is the cause of gallstone development. Progesterone is a hormone that causes the sphincter of Oddi to relax, allowing for the normal flow of bile into the duodenum. The use of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can cause an individual to have an increased risk of gallbladder disease. This increased risk occurs because abnormally high levels of hormones such as testosterone and estrogen can cause progesterone levels to drop. This decrease can cause constriction of the sphincter of Oddi. Subsequently, bile is stored in the gallbladder for extended periods, resulting in the formation of gallstones.

Get more information on bioidentical hormone replacement therapy side effects and risks now.

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The Grip That Pharmaceutical Companies Have On The Hrt Industry Is Slowly Loosening

Increasing numbers of physicians and their patients are choosing bioidentical hormones over synthetic or animal-derived versions. The reason for the new wave of bioidentical hormone users can likely be attributed to more widespread awareness of the risks and side effects of synthetic hormone substitutes, combined with a public that increasingly demands natural products of all kinds.

Morning Rounds With Dr Steven Economou At Rush Hospital Breast Cancer Surgeon

Thirty Five years ago, surgeon Steven Economou MD asked me, Does Estrogen cause breast cancer, and does hormone replacement increase cancer recurrence in breast cancer survivors? Back then, I did not know the answer, and neither did he. Thirty Five years later, we now have the answer.

Above left image: Steven Economou MD, Surgeon Rush Medical Center Chicago, courtesy of the NIH and Raphael E Pollock MD , Annals of Surgical Oncology March 2008.

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Absolute Incidences And Risk Factors

States of estrogen and/or progestogen exposure, such as exogenous hormone administration and pregnancy, are of course established risk factors for blood clots in women. In healthy young individuals without relevant risk factors for blood clots however, the incidence of blood clots is rare even in situations of considerably increased risk due to hormones . The absolute incidence of VTE in non-pregnant women is only 1 to 5 of every 10,000 women each year . EE-containing birth control pills, which on average increase VTE risk by about 4-fold, are associated with an incidence of VTE of only 3 to 9 of every 10,000 women each year . Likewise, the absolute risk of blood clots during pregnancy, when estradiol and progesterone levels increase to extremely high concentrations and VTE risk is increased up to 7-fold , is about 5 to 20 of every 10,000 women each year .

Table 5: Absolute incidences of VTE with different estrogenic exposures in premenopausal women :

a 1â2/10,000 per year at < 19 years of age, 2â3/10,000 per year at 20â29 years of age, 3â4/10,000 per year at 30â39 years of age, 5â7/10,000 per year at 40â49 years of age roughly 3â4/10,000 per year for age 15â49 years overall .

Table 6: Non-exogenous-hormone risk factors for VTE and relative VTE risk increases :

Menopausal Women Taking Hrt Tend To Have Less Body Fat Especially Abdominal Fat

Visceral fat cells are what can make our shape change to a dad bod. Adding this type of fat to our waistlines can set off inflammation and increase insulin resistance. Visceral fat gets worse with depression, stress, poor sleep, smoking, and drinking fructose-sweetened beverages. If thats not enough, menopausal weight gain around your tummy can increase the risk of:

• Cardiovascular disease

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Steroid Receptors As Mediators Of Hormone Activity And Carcinogenesis

aDunn et al., Hammond et al., Kuhl , Kuhnz et al. , Schindler et al., Stanczyk et al..

CBG, corticosteroid-binding globulin DRSP, drospirenone E1, estrone E2, estradiol E3, estriol EE, ethinylestradiol LNG, levonorgestrel MPA, medroxyprogesterone acetate NET, norethisterone P4, progesterone SHBG, sex-hormone-binding globulin.

A simplified representation of the structure of steroid hormone receptors. These receptors contain a variable N-terminal domain containing the ligand-independent activation function 1 region, a highly-conserved DNA-binding domain , a hinge region enabling flexibility, and a relatively conserved ligand-binding domain containing the ligand-dependent activation function region. ER contains an additional C-terminal domain of which the function is not known. The numbers indicated on the right represent the number of amino acids constituting each steroid receptor. Figure adapted from .. A full color version of this figure is available at .

Citation: Journal of Molecular Endocrinology 61, 4 10.1530/JME-18-0094

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Hormone Replacement Skin Patches Dont Raise Risk For Blood Clots

Oral H.R.T. increases the risk for blood clots, but transdermal hormone replacement doesnt, a large analysis found.

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Oral hormone replacement therapy, or H.R.T., increases the risk for potentially fatal blood clots. But a study in BMJ found that hormone replacement delivered through the skin by injection or skin patch entails no increased risk for blood clots.

British researchers looked at 80,396 women who had blood clots while on various H.R.T. regimens, comparing them with 391,494 controls. After adjusting for ethnicity, smoking, alcohol use, chronic medical conditions and other factors, they found that oral preparations increased the overall risk of clots by 43 percent. Oral drugs containing equine estrogen more than doubled the risk in some regimens, although the absolute risk for blood clots is small.

But skin treatments, including patches, creams, gels and under-the-skin injections, had no effect on the risk for blood clots.

About 80 percent of the women in the study using H.R.T. took the medicine orally, and among the women who used transdermal regimens, 87 percent used the skin patches.

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Mistaken Fears About Hrt/mht

There have been reports in the media about the risks of HRT in relation to cancer, further illness and disease.

However, over the past few years, re-evaluation of the data from the Women’s Health Initiative, and recent comprehensive reviews of evidence on HRT, have found HRT is both an effective and a safe treatment for the relief of menopause symptoms, and prevention of osteoporosis, for healthy women.

Women who may be at risk if they take HRT whether traditional or bioidentical include those who:

• have previously been diagnosed with breast cancer
• have previously been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease
• had a venous thrombosis, or deep vein thrombosis .

As bioidentical hormones have not undergone rigid long-term clinical trials, it is not clear whether long-term use may cause health issues. A Cochrane review stated that “no data are yet available about the safety of BHT with regard to long-term outcomes such as heart attack, stroke and breast cancer”.

Will My Insurance Cover My Biote Pellet Procedure

Further considerations:

Do Pellets Work? We hope we have answered most of your questions concerning hormone pellet therapy. Do hormone pellets do what they suggest? We think so. We have answered how long they last and how soon you should expect to see hormonal results. Feel free to visit our BioTE Reviews and Testimonials here.

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Progestins Are Chemicals That Stimulate Progesterone Receptors

As with conjugated estrogens, they are not identical to our native progesterone, and may stimulate lots of other receptors. For example, many progestins will also stimulate estrogen or testosterone receptors, and some even stimulate aldosterone receptors. Many of them, namely medroxy-progesterone or Provera, will cause a significant increase in the factors that encourage blood to clot. Progesterone does not increase risk of blood clotting.

More results from the Womens Health Initiative, showing increased risk of blood clots and stroke with oral estrogen and especially with MPA:

MPA increases risk of blood clots, progesterone does NOT:

When Women Reach The Menopause Many Suffer With Debilitating Symptoms Due To A Reduction In Hormones The Most Effective Treatment To Reduce These Symptoms Is Hrt Unfortunately Many Women Have Been Incorrectly Told That Hrt Is Not Suitable For Them If They Have A History Of Developing A Blood Clot

Blood clots can occur in a deep vein or break off and travel to the lungs and can be very serious.

There are certain conditions and treatments that can raise the risk of getting a blood clot, such as some cancers or lupus.

Unfortunately, many women are being told incorrectly that HRT is not suitable for them if theyve had a clot in the past or have a condition that raises their chance of getting a clot.

This is because, in the past, older types of HRT did slightly raise the risk of getting a blood clot and healthcare professionals arent always aware of up-to-date information and the latest evidence about newer types of HRT.

The estrogen part of HRT can be taken in tablet form or through the skin . The increased risk of getting a blood clot is only with oral estrogen but theres no extra risk with transdermal estrogen.

The safest way to take estrogen is via a patch, gel or spray, as this will not raise your risk of getting a clot.

If you take estrogen in any form you will need to take a progesterone to keep your womb lining thin and healthy. There are two types of progesterone micronised progesterone and older, synthetic progestogens. While older progestogens are linked with an increased risk of clot, micronised progesterone does not have an increased risk of clot.

The safest way to take progesterone is micronised progesterone, known as Utrogestan.

This is one of many expert articles written by Dr Louise Newson, available in the free balance menopause app.

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Hormones And Weight Gain

Do your hormones actually make you fat? Ive been treating women for weight loss for over 13 years now, and most of my clients have been successful in losing weight once they started to control their calories and exercise on a regular basis.

However, every now and then I come across a client who is doing absolutely everything right, yet the weight simply will not budge. When the client has blood levels tested they are often told that everything is normal and they are at a loss as to where to turn next.

If you cant lose weight with diet and exercise and youre not taking any medications that may interfere with your metabolism, it may actually be a hormonal imbalance problem.

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How To Test And Track Estrogen Levels

To best way to understand how your estrogen levels are responding to any recent treatments or lifestyle changes is through hormone testing and tracking.

Currently, there are three different ways that you can test your estrogen levels. This includes blood testing, urine testing, and saliva testing. Each method comes with its own pros and cons in terms of the medical support required and the type of information that you will receive in your results.

For example, a blood test at your doctors office or through an at-home testing service like Lets Get Checked will only give you a one-time snapshot of your estrogen levels at the time that you take your test. If you want to know how your levels change over time, you will need to continue testing on a weekly or monthly basis. The downside of this approach is that it can become expensive and time-consuming.

Urine testing with a system like Mira is another option that may be a bit less expensive depending on your situation and insurance. Testing with Mira is as easy as taking a pregnancy test, and the best part is that you will receive your results in real-time. While Mira cannot test for all types of estrogen, it can test for the urine metabolite of Estradiol , which is the most dominant form of estrogen in individuals of reproductive age.

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