Dr. Steven R. Goldstein MD
Female Hormone Replacement Therapy and the Risk of Stroke
Dr. Steven R. Goldstein MD, is a top gynecologist in New York, a Certified Menopause Practitioner, North American Medical Society, President of the International Menopause Society, and a Past President of the North American Menopause Society. He is an expert on female hormone replacement therapy and co-author of the book “The Estrogen Alternative”
Women sometimes ask “do I run a greater risk of stroke by taking female hormone replacement therapy?” The concept of the risk of stroke related to hormone replacement therapy is quite old and no longer adhered to. It is not dissimilar to concerns about increased blood pressure in the past. In the early days of HRT, it was felt that women with high blood pressure should not take estrogen because they were at risk for stroke. This has turned around 180 degrees.
Now women with hypertension are among the first to be offered female hormone replacement therapy because of the tremendous benefits that this HRT can give the cardiovascular system in terms of reduction of heart disease and stroke. There is less estrogen in HRT than in birth-control pills, which is why HRT is recommended for women with hypertension and birth control pills are not.
Estrogen replacement can help prevent heart disease. After menopause, the risk of heart disease for women increases dramatically. Women who are premenopausal have a much lower incidence of heart attacks than men. After menopause, if they don’t go on hormone replacement therapy, women begin to catch up pretty quickly. If they do go on hormone replacement, they retain that advantage. It’s no small benefit. It is estimated that 500,000 women a year die from coronary artery disease. In the recent Nurses’ Health Study of 120,000 women, which took place over a ten-year period, researchers found that women who took estrogen after menopause had about half the incidence of fatal heart attacks as the control group. The reason? Estrogen replacement seemed to improve a woman’s ratio of “good” cholesterol (HDL) to bad cholesterol (LDL). Women who took combination therapy, which included progestin as well, reduced their risk by 61 percent.
If you are already experiencing the symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes, foggy memory, vaginal dryness, and so on, and are interested in learning how female hormone replacement therapy can help you then arrange for a consultation with Dr. Goldstein by contacting his office in New York City or visiting https://www.goldsteinmd.com/