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Do Premarin® and
Provera® Increase Breast Cancer Risk? YES! On July 9, 2002, the results of the Women’s Health Initiative made front page news. The study was performed by the National Institute of Health and was designed to be completed over 10 years to answer the following: Does hormone replacement, (Premarin and Provera) increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer and do the benefits of treatment outweigh the risk? After only five years, the results were so overwhelming the study was stopped. The risk of breast cancer in the women in the study, was increased by 26%. This number may have been higher, since 42% of the women, who were selected to take the Premarin and Provera, refused to continue in the study because they could not tolerate the side effects. Not only did Premarin and Provera increase the risk of breast cancer, but it also increased the risk of heart disease by 29%, stroke by 41%, Alzheimer’s Dementia by 200%, and blood clots to the lung by 213%. The results of the study were surprising to most physicians. Estrogen has been prescribed to women without appropriate testing for many years. Most women have normal or high free estrogen levels during menopause; therefore, prescribing estrogen to these women has been detrimental. Provera, which it is not chemically the same as progesterone, does not have the beneficial effects of progesterone. Provera actually blocks progesterone from having its positive effect by binding to the area of the cell reserved for progesterone. Provera usually causes weight gain, bloating, depression, hair loss, and increased risk of breast cancer, while progesterone does the exact opposite. What should women do who are taking Premarin and Provera or any other estrogen/progestin combination? First have your estrogen levels checked through saliva testing. Taper off the estrogen over several months if your estrogen levels are high. You can stop the Provera and use natural progesterone to aintain an appropriate estrogen/ progesterone ratio. The book “Are Your Hormones Making You Sick” will give you information to guide you to healthy hormonal balance. The doctor or pharmacist who gave you this newsletter can help you achieve and maintain hormonal balance. Progesterone and Breast Cancer Prevention Estrogen stimulates cell growth. Progesterone slows cell growth and encourages normal cell development. Estrogen and progesterone should be in balance with each other. If there is |
more estrogen than
progesterone available to the breast cell, it will grow, but not
develop normally. Progesterone has been shown to decrease normal
breast cell growth and to slow the growth of cancer cells in the
breast and uterus. Progesterone can slow cell growth, even if the cells are exposed to estrogen. In one study, women were given estrogen cream and another group progesterone cream. The number of cells replicating in the estrogen group was 10 times greater than in the progesterone group. Women in the third group received both estrogen and progesterone and their cell growth was normal. Another study done at Johns Hopkins Medical School revealed that women with progesterone deficiency were 5.4 times more likely to develop breast cancer prior to menopause. It appears that an adequate amount of progesterone is needed to balance the effects of estrogen exposure, which stimulates cancer growth. As women reach perimenopause (35-50 years old) progesterone declines and estrogen increases, due to irregular ovulation. Excess estrogen and decreased progesterone may cause PMS, irregular bleeding, fibroid growth, and weight gain during this time in a woman’s life. A decline in progesterone may explain why breast cancer in this age group is more aggressive and fatal. Salivary testing can determine whether or not estrogen and progesterone are in balance. Supplementing with bioidentical progesterone, along with dietary and lifestyle changes in conjunction with appropriate supplements, can decrease your estrogen exposure, thereby greatly decreasing your risk of breast cancer. If you have breast cancer , progesterone can be used as a hormone replacement to alleviate hot flashes. Studies have shown that natural progesterone applied to the skin will alleviate menopausal symptoms in 83 % of women. Estrogen is contraindicated in anyone who has breast cancer while progesterone is safe and does not increase a woman’s risk of recurrence of breast cancer. Progesterone is not contraindicated in breast cancer survivors. 
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