Hormone Replacement Therapy, How Long Should It Be Taken For? - Dr. Heward (VIDEO)

Dr. Heward:

I’ll answer this question in two ways. The standard of care is, if you’re going to go on hormone replacement therapy, you want the lowest dose of therapy for as short a time as possible – I disagree with that. It is like asking the question, "When is the good time to go through menopause?" Well, if menopause sucks, and there are really negative consequences to menopause in terms of all the symptoms that you feel, the vasomotor symptoms and the emotional hell and all of that, then when is a good time to do that? If in fact there are physiological consequences that are harmful like loss of bone and cardiovascular risk and increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and more, when is a good time to do that, and what makes us think because we put off the date at which we suffer estrogen withdrawal that any of those things are going to be mitigated in any way.

So in my opinion, there’s no good time to go off hormones. Stay on hormones for the rest of your life and enjoy the highest quality of life you possibly can for as long as you possibly can.

About Dr. Heward, Ph.D.:
Dr. Christopher B. Heward is past-President of Kronos Science Laboratory. His primary responsibility was providing scientific and technical leadership for all laboratory activities. He oversaw the development and implementation of the clinical laboratory testing program; assisted in designing and refining both internally and externally sponsored clinical studies; directed and coordinated diagnostic product research and development; administered laboratory and patient databases; was principal investigator for the Kronos Longitudinal Aging Study (KLAS); and communicated Kronos’ discoveries and advances to lay and scientific audiences via presentations and publications. Dr. Heward’s research interests included healthy aging, endocrinology, oxidative stress, Alzheimer’s disease, prion disease (TSE) and menopause. Dr. Heward attended the University of Arizona and received a Bachelor of Arts degrees from both the Department of Psychology and the Department of Chemistry, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree from the Department of Biology. He earned his PhD from the Department of Biology in 1981.

View Dr. Heward Videos:
http://www.empowher.com/users/dr-christopher-b-heward

Visit Kronos Science Laboratory

More on This

• Sexual Health Problem: How Did You Find Help?
• How To Help Your Teen Through Puberty
• How To Avoid Menopausal Weight Gain
• HER Week In Health October 21, 2011

Tags

• Menopause
• Reproductive System