Comments on: Menopause Therapy Sparks Controversy

Opinion Split Over Safety Of Synthetic Hormones, Bioidenticals

[lww11]

I am 59 years old and had a complete hysterectomy 12 years ago and spent 12 years in hell. I went from being a mild mannered, easy going person to being a grouchy irritated witch most of the time. I went from having a very satisfying *** life to no drive at all. For 12 years I never slept over 2-3 hours without waking up. I gained 50 pounds without changing anything about my diet or exercise. I started going to a new doctor this summer who gets the connection between aging and hormones and she put me on bioidentical gel hormones and for the first time in 12 years I slept all night. It's amazing how much better your brain works when you get uninterrupted sleep.
Don't tell me they don't work better than synthetic drugs. My insurance won't cover the hormones but I'll pay for them anyway but it's sad that people who can't afford them won't get them because of drug companies and insurance companies. I know the difference now and I won't go back to a one for all pill that doesn't work for me.

[lww11]

I am 59 years old and had a complete hysterectomy 12 years ago and spent 12 years in hell. I went from being a mild mannered, easy going person to being a grouchy irritated witch most of the time. I went from having a very satisfying *** life to no drive at all. For 12 years I never slept over 2-3 hours without waking up. I gained 50 pounds without changing anything about my diet or exercise. I started going to a new doctor this summer who gets the connection between aging and hormones and she put me on bioidentical gel hormones and for the first time in 12 years I slept all night. It's amazing how much better your brain works when you get uninterrupted sleep.
Don't tell me they don't work better than synthetic drugs. My insurance won't cover the hormones but I'll pay for them anyway but it's sad that people who can't afford them won't get them because of drug companies and insurance companies. I know the difference now and I won't go back to a one for all pill that doesn't work for me.

[slcat1106]

Bioidentical progesterone is worth researching for yourself. You will find that progesterone is the hormone that pregnant women have in their bodies at extremely high levels to help with the pregnancy. That tells you right there that it should be safe. Synthetic progesterone is made from pregnant mare urine and horses do not have the same hormone make up as humans. Remember, just because the FDA approves something does not mean it is safe and just because it has not been approved does not mean it is unsafe.

Again, research this for yourself. There is plenty of info out there. Many, many people are getting lifechanging benefits from Bioidentical Hormones. They can be purchased through a compounding pharmacist or health food stores or companies like Arbonne.

[trueprogress]

With all these hormonal and other problems, we need more research and care before we take some over the counter drug which has not been tested. You would not give to your children or your dog, but you take it yourself. It shows just how awful the symptoms are, and how desparate we are in this youth oriented society, to be getting older. For me, the wrinkles are a sign of wisdom. For others, getting older is a shock which can ruin an otherwise great life and family. Lets see Cattie with her wrinkles and all, why does the show seem so fake ?
Women have too high expectations for not getting olders. IT shows a sign of personal growth.

[annefrancis-2009]

I am concerned that Ms. Couric would cast a negative cloud on bioidentical hormones if they have not been proven to cause cancer as the synthetic hormones have been documented to do.
As a woman of menopausal age, she should be more mindful of playing to the pharmaceutical companies' corner as they no doubt are threatened by increased sales and interest in natural hormone therapies. Women are not dumb! They are listening and taking control of their health options. Even untested, they will try the natural options and find relief of menopausal hot flashes. The proof is in the pudding.
I would have appreciated this story more if she had found a bioidentical company who IS doing controlled tests or offered information to people will to serve as volunteers for bioidentical testing. Don't fear monger this important issue! Thanks. Anne Francis.

[babedoll1]

I was very excited to learn of the compounded hormones available 3 years ago when I read Suzanne Sommers' book and I tried for a year to use them. The first compounding pharmacist that I finally located managed to always short me on the amount that I needed. He also was always forgetting to mail it to me on time so that I would be able to use it the correct number of days in a row. I finally located another one who was much more accomodating, but after trying for a year and driving a long distance to keep seeing the doctor trained in this, I gave up because she just couldn't figure out the right combination that I needed. I was suffering with hot flashes and itching day and night. At this point, I wanted to kick Suzanne Sommers' ***! I feel that this is for those fortunate few who have more time and money to devote to this search, not to mention better physicians and pharmacists than we have access to in this rural agricultural area. I finally went back on the patch.

[mrwhitey3]

Ah yes, there was Katie out there shilling for big pharma tonight with a hatchet job by asking a hypothetical negative question "If you treated 100 women with these hormones and they all died of cancer 10 years from now would it be worth it?"

First, how many people did she have to interview to find one stupid enough to fall for the defend a negative hypothetical question trick?

Second, does she connect this type of "journalism" with her current popularity rating below a rerun of a sitcom?

Dump Katie! America needs a real anchor that delivers actual real news worse than ever. Until then, I get my news at whatreallyhappened.com and I see what the shills are selling on mainstream media like drudge and CBS. Love the chance to fight back though!

[allie3006]

can we really trust the words of a Medical Doctor that is featured in the National Enquirer?? I was very disappointed when I saw her column in a rag paper that does not print the truth. So how can we believe her????

[ppelton]

The menopause story really amazed me. Women were willing to take the risk with so-called natural cures making naive assumptions that they would be safer than clinically tested synthetic hormones. I am surprised that someone concerned about taking a drug approved by the FDA would have no qualms about taking a "drug" approved and tested by no one. The interviewer (an M.D.) complained that pharmaceutical companies were reluctant to pay for long-term studies of a substance for which they cannot return a profit. This is not surprising. However, if a company offered to do such an expensive, long-term, well-controlled trial to explore the safety and efficacy of these concoctions and they proved negative would it make a difference? Would the naysayers believe it anyway? Why don't the generic companies and the "natural product" distributers pay for these trials? After all, they are also making a profit on us poor menopausal women (yes I am nearly at that stage, wondering myself how I will deal with it)? The placebo effect can be very powerful and who knows what is really going on with these so-called "natural cures."

How about a little exercise, a good diet, less stress, and a positive attitude? If that doesn't work and the hot flashes are unbearable, I am going to bet my health on short-term therapy with low-dose synthetic hormones. At least, I will know the risks and benefits (and I will know what I am actually being given).

[bdevine8]

I have been taking black cohosh and chasteberry for about 8 years now, adding the progesterone cream from yams maybe 2 years ago. I feel great, never have any 'symptoms'. Synthetic hormone replacment therapy pills are made from horse urine!! Let some stupid guy take horse urine pills before they expect us to take that!!
Pharmeceutical companies and the medical community that they train should realize that the American public knows that there is something truly amiss in healthcare - and that bad medicine - and the disgraceful attempt to cover it up will never be acceptable. Their time is becoming shorter and shorter, unless they get back to making people healed wholly.