OSTEOPOROSIS TREATMENT

Treating & Preventing Osteoporosis with Estrogen Replacement Therapy

For many women, menopausal reduction in estrogen production results in extremely alarming, aggravating and even embarrassing adverse side effects. The more well-known symptoms of menopause hormone decline may include hot flashes, ‘moodiness’, difficult-to-lose abdominal fat, sleeplessness, fatigue, ‘brain fog’ and more.

However, a much more severe side effect of menopausal hormone decrease – bone loss or “osteoporosis” – often remains hidden and goes undiagnosed.

While estrogen is commonly thought of as a “reproductive hormone,” it is also necessary for the maintenance of strong, healthy bones. Menopause causes a decrease in estrogen levels, which results in bone loss and significantly increases a woman’s chance of breaking one or more bones. Indeed, it is estimated that 50% of women will have a bone fracture as a result of osteoporosis after the age of 50!

But, because osteoporosis has no outward signs, many women are unaware they have it until they suffer a fracture. Fortunately, osteoporosis can very effectively be avoided in women approaching or experiencing menopause by using natural and safe bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, which is offered at AHA Women’s Health in the greater Dearborn and Lincoln Park areas.

Estrogen Replacement Therapy Can Prevent Osteoporosis

As a starting point, it’s important to understand how correct hormonal balance safeguards the bones. One of estrogen’s several tasks is to promote the activity of specific bone-producing cells called “osteoblasts.” Thus, as a woman’s estrogen level decreases after menopause, these osteoblasts cease to create new bone cells, resulting in the bones becoming less dense, porous (more “hollow”) and therefore much weaker.

The very first FDA-approved medication for osteoporosis prevention was actually estrogen replacement therapy! Many years later, seeing a big money-making opportunity, pharmaceutical companies jumped on the osteoporosis prevention bandwagon, and developed a range of synthetic medicines and treatments for osteoporosis. Bisphosphonates (such as Fosamax and Boniva) and anabolic steroids are examples of these. However, like with any laboratory-created medication, osteoporosis medications can come with many adverse or unpleasant side effects for some patients.

Thus, while there are several new and effective synthetic medicines available to treat osteoporosis, the majority of medical experts still prefer to address the underlying cause of the bone density loss which is estrogen insufficiency. However, simply replacing missing hormones with a one-size-fits-all synthetic estrogen tablet or cream is not always the ideal solution.

Types of Osteoporosis Estrogen Replacement Treatment

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is typically classified into two types: synthetic hormones synthesized in the laboratory and “bioidentical” replacement hormones taken from natural, plant-based sources.

Since nothing manufactured in a laboratory will ever be exactly the same as what occurs naturally in the body, many newer, state-of-the-art HRTs utilize “bioidentical” hormones derived from natural, living, plant-based sources. These have a chemical structure that is almost identical to that of human hormones, making them more effectively “recognized” by the human body because they “fit” better with the body’s other cells. As a consequence, bioidentical hormone therapy can often offer more effective than hormones synthesized in the laboratory, for some patients.

Is Hormone Replacement Therapy for Treating Osteoporosis Safe?

Because bioidentical hormone replacement treatment mimics the hormones produced naturally by the body, it is extremely safe for the majority of perimenopausal, menopausal, and postmenopausal women. The esteemed North American Menopause Society, as well as the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, and the Endocrine Society have all declared categorically that the majority of healthy postmenopausal women may safely take estrogen replacement therapy to prevent osteoporosis.

However, a relatively small percentage of women with specific health problems, such as breast or uterine cancer, liver disease, or a family history of embolisms (blood clots), should avoid estrogen treatment. Estrogen replacement treatment is likewise not recommended for males or pre-menopausal women.

The ideal time to begin estrogen replacement treatment for the prevention of osteoporosis is during early menopause. However, clinical studies have shown that estrogen replacement treatment can still help retain and protect bone density even if it is not started up to a decade after menopause begins!

Estrogen Replacement Delivery Methods

Historically, estrogen replacement therapy was administered in a number of ways: daily tablets, topical gels and lotions, and injections (shots). However, some newer, state-of-the-art hormone delivery systems now provide more convenient and consistent hormone delivery. Dermal HRT patches, as well as subdermal BHRT pellets, can now offer long-lasting, time-released estrogen replacement.

These HRT deliver methods can dispense hormones the same way the ovaries do – gradually and consistently as they are needed. This can prevent a “roller coaster” of hormonal ups and downs, and offers the advantage of not having to remember to take daily hormone pills or creams.

Estrogen Replacement Treatment for Osteoporosis | Dearborn & Lincoln Park

Bioidentical estrogen replacement therapy prevents bone density loss by treating the underlying cause of osteoporosis. Restoring the body’s natural hormone balance can help the body to continue producing strong, healthy bones – without the side effects of many medications.

It’s never too late to take steps to ensure that you are NOT in the 50% of women who will suffer a bone fracture due to osteoporosis. Schedule an appointment with the menopause experts at AHA Women’s Health in Dearborn or Lincoln Park and see if estrogen replacement therapy is the right treatment to help you maintain strong, healthy bone density … now and for the rest of your life!