What Is Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)?

As a woman ages and goes through menopause (the end of menstruation and fertility), her body's production of hormones like estrogen naturally slows down. This decrease in hormone production is thought to contribute to some of menopause's unfortunate side-effects, including hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mood swings and loss of bone density (leading to osteoporosis). The idea of hormone replacement therapy is to replace the hormones lost during menopause. But can they really be replaced?

Human hormones cannot be replicated. Hormone "replacement" therapy is actually the practice of replacing a woman's natural hormones with synthetic hormones. These synthetic hormones do not interact with a woman's body in the same way as natural hormones, which is why we are seeing so many deadly side-effects like an increase in breast cancer.

Synthetic hormones were first created by scientists in the 1940s from the urine of pregnant female horses (mares). The resulting drug, (named after Pregnant Mare's Urine) was sold by Wyeth and quickly became one of the top selling pharmaceuticals in the country. It was marketed as a way for a woman to enjoy the qualities of her youth while treating the "disease" of menopause.

A study in the 1950's by William Masters of the Masters and Johnson sexual therapy team stated that it was "virtually impossible to over-treat" the symptoms of menopause with estrogen replacements. An influential 1968 book by Dr. Robert Wilson called "Feminine Forever" stated the following about hormone replacements and menopause:

"Multiplied by millions, [the menopausal woman] is a focus of bitterness and discontent in the whole fabric of our civilization."
"To watch a 'pleasant energetic woman' turn into 'a dull-minded but sharp-tongued' caricature of her former self is one of the saddest of human spectacles."
"With [estrogen replacement therapy], women do not have to 'live as sexual neuters for half their lives. With hormone medications, breasts and genital organs will not shrivel. Such women will be much more pleasant to live with and will not become dull and unattractive."

"Feminine Forever" pushed the idea that women could have the appearance and mindset of a youth simply through the use of estrogen replacements. Sales of the drug tripled after the book became a bestseller. It has since been revealed that Wyeth, the makers of Premarin, paid all the expenses for the writing of the book, paid Dr. Wilson to lecture to women's groups about the book and bought enough copies of the book to guarantee it bestseller status.

If you or a loved one have used Prempro, and Provera or another combination hormone replacement therapy and have developed breast cancer, it's time to talk to a lawyer and protect your legal rights. Please contact us immediately at 800-966-4999 and see why our law firm has recovered over $100 million on behalf of our clients.

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