My mother was infuriated when she read an article about what is in her hormone medication, Premarin. You are not going to believe me when I tell you this, but it is horse urine. Yes, you read that right horse urine. I didn’t believe it either. How gross is that? Well I actually looked it up. They not only make it out of horse urine, but the side effects are increased chances of breast cancer, heart disease, and many many other things. Now if you are currently a woman taking hormone medication, you can’t just stop taking the medications. Here is what Sue Bondzeleske B.S., C.N.C has to say. You can read her full article here.

Synthetic hormones are just that– synthetic. They are not the same molecules as the natural estrogen or progesterone found in the body. Current research is finding that it is not advisable for any woman to be on HRT for longer than 6 months due to the eventual side effects. The female body does not accept synthetic hormones. It may seem as though it does at first, but, after many months or years, and constant exposure to environmental estrogens, side effects will appear. Formost of those side effects being increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular problems, candidiasis, fluid retention, elevated triglycerides, stroke, fibrocystic breast disease, and/or uterine fibroids. The problem is that synthetic hormones do not correct any problem; they simply add synthetic hormones to your body. If you stop taking them, or get them out of balance, the side effects ( night sweats, mood swings, depression, hot flashes) are not pleasant. Any time you add a hormone to the body that is naturally produced by the body, the body will stop it’s production of that hormone and the gland will somewhat atrophy. In the case of menopause — as your ovaries and uterus decrease production of estrogen and progesterone due to the lack of ovulation, the production of the hormones gradually is switched to the adrenal glands. If you start taking synthetic hormones, which are extremely potent as compared to natural hormones, your body will not be stimulated to produce the hormones itself naturally. Hence, the reason doctors leave women on hormones for LIFE!! This is also why women who stop taking hormones, for whatever reason, usually have severe side effects (the aforementioned hot flashes, mood swings, depression). It is very important to wean yourself off synthetic hormones while simultaneously taking natural herbs or supplements, or using transdermal natural progesterone cream. Estrogen replacement has been linked to cancer (breast, ovarian, cervical and endometrial). It has also been connected to Lupus (an auto-immune disorder). Research is finding that hormone replacement is not recommended if you have a family history of breast cancer, uterine cancer, or fibroids; if you have “cystic breasts” diagnosed as atypical hyperplasia; or if you have liver or gall bladder disease. Synthetic estrogens can cause changes in liver, because they accumulate in the body. Hormone replacement could cause high blood pressure, fluid retention, and blood clots. Premarin is “natural” estrogen — extracted from the urine of pregnant mares. It is not natural to the human female body. This is extremely potent and may cause metabolic changes in the liver. It should never be used by obese women, those who smoke or have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or varicose veins.  Read the rest of this entry »