Estrone (3-hydroxy-13-methyl- 6,7,8,9,11,12,13,14,15,16- decahydrocyclopenta[a]phenanthren- 17- one) is estrone, whether it’s made in a horse, in a human, or in a lab. That’s the primary form of estrogen found in Premarin. There are smaller amounts of two others, which are not naturally present in humans, but no evidence that they have any harmful effects, and actually quite a bit of research showing that they’re likely to have some beneficial effects (though probably only if taken in larger quantities than the portions found in Premarin).
The problems with Premarin and other common forms of hormone replacement therapy (including “bioidentical” hormones) is that they all involve dosing with a few of the many downstream hormones in the overall web of steroidogenesis. *Some* of these can back-convert to *some* extent, but it’s still a very unnatural disruption of the hormone balance. In the absence of clear genetic abnormalities (e.g. defects in specific enzymes that convert the various steroids into different ones), it makes a lot more sense to supplement steroids that are much further upstream, e.g. pregnenolone and/or DHEA, and let the body choose how much of what to make from these raw materials. That approach is a lot more likely to result in normal, healthy, and properly balanced levels of the large numbers of steroid hormones we naturally have.
Most of the negative health effects that have been traced to hormone replacement therapy are not dependent on whether Premarin vs. products not containing any equine estrogens were used. There’s much stronger evidence that the standard practice of replacing estrogens without simultaneously replacing testosterone (which is upstream from the estrogens) is the key factor in negative health effects. DHEA is upstream from both testosterone and all the human forms of estrogen, and supplementing DHEA therefore does not bypass testosterone production, and flood the body with high levels of estrogen while it is still abnormally low in testosterone.
Even in perfectly healthy people, there is so much individual variation in hormone levels, including day-to-day and intraday variations, that attempts to craft individually customized products that dose many different hormones separately are only slightly more scientifically defensible than the estrogens-only approach. But to the extent that these custom formulations include significant amounts of upstream precursors and/or some of the further downstream androgens, they’re definitely better than taking estrogens only. If there’s any form of estrogen included at all, there’s no evidence to suggest that Premarin wouldn’t be a perfectly good source of that estrogen.
Ever heard of estriol? And, YES....anyone taking hormones should be BALANCING their hormones, including all the different kinds of Estrogen.....and be tested, regularly....I take VERY little estriol....more DHEA and Pregnenelone and Progesterone....
Luckily I have one of the premier hormone docs....and this article may be of interest to you....http://www.tahoma-clinic.com/hotflashes.shtml
What I know is.....I would as I said be in a wheel chair or dead without them.
You can't trust what the drug companies tell you though.
I am very skeptical when it comes to drug companies.
My wife was a young woman once upon a time, and she was taking birth control pills for a couple years before we decided to have kids. Then when she was 27, she developed breast cancer.
After we went through all of that, never again did she ever take birth control pills, and never again did she develop any further problems.
While the jury may still be out on the birth control issue, I think it will eventually rule that those things should not be taken by young women.
I think that there is much we don't know about hormones, and what all they effect in the body, how the body regulates them and for what reasons.
I took testosterone too. When I first started taking replacement hormones I felt so good I swear I thought I could fly. After about 2 1/2 years it began to go the other way. By 5 years, when I quit, I was having all kinds of problems that went away when I stopped taking them altogether.