Does Estrogen Need to be Replaced? Bio-Identical Hormones and Suzanne Somers' Critics

Bio-Identical Hormones: Suzanne Somers’ Critics and the AMA Miss the Point, the Issue is Does Estrogen Need to Be Replaced
By Michael E. Platt, M.D.

It’s both amazing and frustrating to listen to recent discussions of bio-identical hormones. On November 15, 2006, Larry King, of CNN’s The Larry King Show Live, invited Suzanne Somers to debate some of the critics of her new book AGELESS. Each of her critics focused on the wrong issue.

In addition, the American Medical Association now proclaims that the FDA has to start monitoring compounding pharmacies more carefully, as they are the providers of bio-identical hormones. Again, the AMA is also concerned about the wrong issue.

What people have to understand, and women in particular, is that doctors receive almost no training with regard to the clinical application of hormones, and no training at all in the use of bio-identical hormones. Hormones control every system in the body; a disruption in the hormonal system can have a significant influence on a person’s health. This lack of appreciation and knowledge about hormones has had tragic consequences on society’s health.

Whenever the issue of bio-identical hormones arises, it usually centers on the use of a specific hormone, namely estrogen. What needs to be focused on is not whether estrogen is natural or synthetic, or whether it comes from horse’s urine, or whether it is FDA-approved or not.

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What needs to be addressed is whether this hormone needs to be replaced in the first place. Anytime a drug is used, one always has to consider the benefits vs. the risks.

Estrogen - whether natural, synthetic, or produced by the body itself (i.e. the ultimate bio-identical source) – is a toxic hormone. It can cause six different cancers; it causes fibroids, endometriosis, fibrocystic disease, gallbladder disease, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and the nausea of pregnancy. Estrogen is the cause of menstrual cramps, pms, breast tenderness and migraine headaches. It is a lipogenic hormone, i.e. it creates fat around the hips, thighs, buttocks and breast. Estrogen can also cause heart attacks, strokes and blood clots which can be fatal.

Interestingly, women never stop making estrogen, even if they have no ovaries. It is produced by fat cells, skin cells, and the adrenal gland. Unfortunately, women get abused throughout their life with estrogen, either in the form of birth control pills or, later on, with drugs like Premarin, Prem Pro, Estrace, Ogen, etc.

So the question arises, why replace estrogen at all? This is the question that really needs to be addressed. It is interesting to note that estrogen, in the form of Premarin, was originally marketed mainly for the benefit of husbands. The major promoter of Premarin was Robert Wilson, a NYC gynecologist who in his book, Feminine Forever, stated that “as women enter the menopause, they enter a vapid, cow-like state and become unpleasant companions for their husbands”; he toured the U.S. giving seminars for physicians and ultimately Premarin became the largest selling drug in the world.

It is estimated that somewhere between 200,000 and 2,000,000 women developed cancer of the uterus the first 10 years Premarin was on the market - this is why they added Provera, a synthetic chemical bearing no relationship to natural progesterone.

The bottom line to all of this controversy is the question are bio-identical hormones safe? The answer to this is yes - when used correctly; it cannot be assumed that BHRT is safe only because they are bio-identical. This is the impression given by Suzanne Somers in her book The Sexy Year and Ageless. In actuality, a woman’s own estrogen causes six different cancers and this estrogen is the most bio-identical of all. However, there is a form of estrogen called estriol that can only be obtained via compound pharmacies - this type of estrogen is not capable of inducing cancerous changes. In fact, it is so safe they have used it to treat breast cancer because it occupies estrogen receptor sites and prevents more dangerous types of estrogen from attaching - in this regard it is safer and more beneficial than Tamoxifen.

Another thought to consider is that critics continue to point out that BHRT is not FDA-approved. All hormones utilized by compound pharmacies are FDA- approved. Upjohn Pharmaceuticals was one of the first companies to produce bio-identical hormones. Seventy years ago they put out bio-identical progesterone, which happens to be the most important hormone for replacement in both men and women.

Bio-identical hormones are extremely safe and beneficial. They must be utilized correctly. A doctor going to a weekend seminar in Las Vegas to learn about these hormones is unfortunately not in a position to have enough understanding.

©2006. Dr. Michael E. Platt/All Rights Reserved. This article is copyrighted, but you have permission to share it through any medium as long as the proper copyright and credit line is included.