BHRT talk with Bredesen, Hathaway and Julie G

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Julie G
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Re: BHRT talk with Bredesen, Hathaway and Julie G

Post by Julie G »

Is there any news from Dr Hathaway regarding cycling of estrogen?
I'm wondering this too. I don't see anything on Facebook about i.
I know; I tried. I brought all of the questions to Dr. Hathaway's attention and we got the response that you've already seen- sorry. I thought I recalled her talking about cycling estrogen in the discussion (for cancer patients) but could be mistaken. I've had a transcript made and will share here as soon as It's available. I think it's important to keep in mind that cycling estrogen is not what Dr. Hathaway recommends by and large for women trying to prevent or reverse cognitive decline.
Hi Julie, the second of these studies does say that estrogen effects on cognition are better when taken alone than when taken with progestins. Progestins are the synthetic form of progesterone which Ann Hathaway warns against . But here is a quote directly from a slide in Ann Hathaway’s module in ReCODE 2.0 training regarding bioidentical progesterone:
P4 is often cycled part of month on, part off-mimics premenopausal physiology and increases P4 receptor sensitivity. Can be given continuously. . Also on same slide:
15, 23, or more days per month , depending on patient preference
In my notes from her presentation I have written that she does remark that progesterone can get excessively high for some women if taken continuously because it can build up in the body leading to undesirable side effects of sedation or overstimulation
.
Yep, reading the study alone w/o the context of Dr. Hathaway's broader context may lead one to mistakenly assume that taking progesterone (not progestin (synthetic) is harmful. But, she clearly points out repeatedly that progesterone is safe and necessary for women with a uterus.
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Re: BHRT talk with Bredesen, Hathaway and Julie G

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Julie G wrote: I know; I tried. I brought all of the questions to Dr. Hathaway's attention and we got the response that you've already seen- sorry.
Thanks Julie.

I think this matter of becoming progesterone resistant (not a medical term … yet?) may be very real. My levels were normal until suddenly they were too high, yet even being too high, including in ratio to estrogen, my uterline lining is at 5 where it use to be at 4. Progesterone is supposed to help prevent the buildup of the uterine lining. Due to spotting at the same time, I had to have a biospy and all was normal. I'm now thinking that indeed continuous progesterone use may have led to some lack of response to it, so in effect I've started having unopposed estrogen to some extent and a small buildup to the lining of my uterus. I can't prove this but I sure n' heck don't want to go through such a very painful biopsy again, so I will force myself to sleep without progesterone part of the month.

Hopefully my body will be able to clear the excess progesterone and those receptors will wake up again, assuming that my issue.

It sill leads me to wonder why continuous estrogen use wouldn't lead to a similar lack of response from estrogen receptors.
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
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Re: BHRT talk with Bredesen, Hathaway and Julie G

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I'm 55 and about 5 years post menopause. In the past I avoided HRT due to a history of breast cancer in my 30s (my oncologist at the time warned me against it). Following information from this board, and especially Dr Hathaway's talk, I brought up bioidentical hormones with my primary care physician. She said it was controversial and wouldn't recommend it for someone with my history (both the breast cancer and me being several years post menopause) but was willing to get me a consultation with a gynecologist. Any ideas of how I should best prepare for the consultation? What should I read? How can I best present my case?
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Re: BHRT talk with Bredesen, Hathaway and Julie G

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Quantifier, I would do a search in the various forums here, especially "Prevention," as she has come up several times and I know some generous members provided links to Hathaway's Powerpoints. You can also check her website, which may contain studies.
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Re: BHRT talk with Bredesen, Hathaway and Julie G

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Quantifier wrote:I'm 55 and about 5 years post menopause. In the past I avoided HRT due to a history of breast cancer in my 30s (my oncologist at the time warned me against it). Following information from this board, and especially Dr Hathaway's talk, I brought up bioidentical hormones with my primary care physician. She said it was controversial and wouldn't recommend it for someone with my history (both the breast cancer and me being several years post menopause) but was willing to get me a consultation with a gynecologist. Any ideas of how I should best prepare for the consultation? What should I read? How can I best present my case?
Hi Quantifier, from your post it is clear that you have listened to Ann Hathway’s talk(s). There is a link to the slides from a presentation she gave in San Diego. Unfortunately when I tried to copy the link and paste it here , it did not work. You can find the slides, though by going to the thread “For those who missed our San Diego MeetUp”. If you type that into the search function, on the first page there is a post by Julie G that has the link in green.
Having some backup for your arguments may help. The slides include links to studies.
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Re: BHRT talk with Bredesen, Hathaway and Julie G

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Thank you, floramaria! Is this thread in the Meetup section?
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Re: BHRT talk with Bredesen, Hathaway and Julie G

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Re: BHRT talk with Bredesen, Hathaway and Julie G

Post by UFGirl »

Here is one study with mice regarding cycling vs continuously taking progesterone. It is interesting because progesterone and estradiol are actually used. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2875823/ Cycling the progesterone looks to have the advantage even over estradiol only (according to the bar graphs). I thought I had read another paper about the benefits of cycling progesterone, but I can't find that one.
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Re: BHRT talk with Bredesen, Hathaway and Julie G

Post by Quantifier »

Well, my consultation with the gynecologist was disappointing. She's opposed to bHRT as primary prevention (whether it's cognition issues or bone loss), and even more so for breast cancer survivors.

I guess my options are: 1) sign up with PreCODE (which would also get me the lab work, maybe imaging?)
2) find a Functional Medicine practitioner, hopefully one that is covered by my insurance
3) try to get around the hormone issue with fermented soy products

Any other ideas?
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Re: BHRT talk with Bredesen, Hathaway and Julie G

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Quantifier wrote:Well, my consultation with the gynecologist was disappointing. She's opposed to bHRT as primary prevention (whether it's cognition issues or bone loss), and even more so for breast cancer survivors.
I guess my options are: 1) sign up with PreCODE (which would also get me the lab work, maybe imaging?)
2) find a Functional Medicine practitioner, hopefully one that is covered by my insurance
3) try to get around the hormone issue with fermented soy products
Any other ideas?
Hi Quantifier, like you, I had trouble finding someone to prescribe bHRT for me. In fact my PCP was so opposed to the idea that she entered her opinion that I should definitely not be on bHRT into my chart, which blew my hope of ever getting this prescribed through anyone at my local health clinic. I had to go to a concierge FM doctor to get my first prescription, but that was a very expensive and non-sustainable option for me. I found an integrative health physician was okay with my continuing bHRT though she didn’t really like the idea and she preferred a different form. She did finally agree to continue prescribe the low dose E2 patch and oral progesterone the FM doc had put me on. Unlike the FM docs in my area, she is covered by my insurance. Including naturopathic and integrative physicians in your search might expand your options.
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