Question-------------------------
Followup To
Question -
I have a question I hope you can help me with, but first let me tell you a little about myself. I am a 29 year old female who had endometriosis since I was 15 years old. Luckily, I managed to have two beautiful little boys, and just last November I had a total abdominal hysterectomy. I have been on hormone replacement therapy since then. First, I tried the Vivelle Dot patch, my skin kept getting irritated with that, so then my doctor recommended the FemRing .05mg., that didn't work I was getting hot flashes and bad mood swings, so she upped it to .10mg. That seems to be working ok for the hot flashes and the mood swings, but, I have really bad breast tenderness, and it really burns when I urinate. I thought it was just another kidney infection, so I had it checked out and my PCP said my urine looked good, no infection. She told me I should talk to my ob/gyn about the FemRing, she said that could be causing painful urination. But I love this ring. Do you think the FemRing could be causing these side effects? And if you do, is there any other alternatives? Are there any over the counter HRT's that work? Please give me your opinion on what you think is best. Thank You,
Answer -
If you are happy with the FemRing, I would suggest that you stick with it. Make sure that it is not pressing on the trigone of your bladder, which could cause burning on urination and inflammation that can mimic a bladder infection. Make sure that you do a culture and sensitivity of your urine and see the results. A colony count of greater than 100,000 is an indication of infection and should be treated. Is there a reason why you do not use oral hormone replacement therapy? Without a uterus, you do not need any progesterone and could do with a low dose estrogen pill that would also take care of your symptoms. Unfortunately, estrogen in any form may cause breast tenderness. Good Luck.
The reason why I don't use the estrogen pill is because I've heard it can cause breast cancer. Also, I wanted to ask you, my ob/gyn recommended I take soy instead of using the FemRing, if the ring is really bothering me. Have you ever heard of this? What would the connection be, between soy and menopause? He said it can help eliminate the symptons of menopause.
AnswerIn large amounts, soy products can lessen the symptoms of menopause (flushes, flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness). However this is short lasting and does not work as well as Estrogen replacement therapy. The studies that showed an increase in breast cancer were only seen in women taking Estrogen AND Progesterone (Prempro), so far. Since you had a hysterectomy, you do not have to take progesterone (which is taken to avoid the risk of endometrial cancer). The risk of breast cancer in the general population (those not taking any hormones) is 10%. The risk after taking estrogen replacement therapy rises to 12%. In the study hat scared so many women, in 10,000 women who were given Prempro, 6 more developed breast cancer, 6 developed heart disease, and 8 developed stroke. However 6 less had colon cancer, and there was an increase in cognitive development. After seeing the newspapers, many women stopped taking hormones. HOwever, within a year 25% started to take them again because they felt better on them. The study was skewed and was not accurate. Many more studies are in progress. We still recommend Estrogen replacement (either the pill or the FemRing, which also contains estrogen), due to its beneficial effects on osteoporosis, colon cancer, benign cystic breast disease, and the lessening of the symptoms of menopause. I would suggest that you continue the FemRing rather than try the soy.
