A doc and a diva walk up to the rooftop

Posted by Liz on Jan 25, 2010 in bioidentical hormones, estrogen, menopause | 4 comments

 

Taking the mystery out of menopause, one rooftop conversation at a time. Drifters optional.

Yup ladies, the Nation’s own ‘Red Hot Mama’s”, THE source for everything menopause, has teamed up with Novagyne Pharmaceuticals to promote VIVELLE-Dot®, a hormone replacement topical patch. Perched up on the roof, the doc and diva discuss the changes of menopause, hot flashes and more. The conversation is lively and takes the “pause” out of menopause, so much so that makes you wonder what the heck you’re doing up on a roof with these two ladies.

Better yet, why are they up on a roof?!

Let’s talk about Vivelle for just a minute.

VIVELLE-Dot is a patch that is applied to the skin. It delivers a constant dose of a form of a natural (as opposed to synthetic) estrogen called estradiol, which enters the body through a very small skin patch. VIVELLE-Dot is applied twice weekly.

Granted, transdermal, or ‘through-the-skin’ delivery of medications is generally associated with fewer side effects than oral medications since the drug bypasses the liver and directly enters the blood stream. Still, although estradiol is a bioidentical hormone, with the same molecular structure as estrogen found naturally in the body, potentially seriously risks associated with taking estrogen, endogenous or not, include:

• a 2- to 12-fold risk of developing endometrial cancer, depending on length of time taken and dose
• breast cancer
• dementia
• a 2- to 4-fold increased risk for gallbladder disease
• increased risk of heart attack, stroke and blood clots

Note that using bioidentical hormones is not the same as using bioidentical hormone replacement that is customized to your needs. This is an important distinction to keep in mind the next time that you see the phrase.

Here’s my question: still hanging on the roof with the doc and the diva? Or do you want to drift away?

Menopause isn’t something to “fix,” it’s something to address with safe, effective strategies that don’t turn women into long-term guinea pigs.  Do you want to be a Red Hot Mama? Or do you want give the Mama’s a run for their money?

This ain’t your mama’s menopause, it’s yours.’