Dear Friend,

Since the Women's Health Initiative study was halted in July of 2002, healthcare providers, women, and health organizations have scrambled to understand what it all means for the future of hormone therapy. Recent statements by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) are telling us we shouldn't overreact by throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

These established authorities in the medical community now say hormone therapy (HT) is still a viable option. However, they advise the future of successful HT lies in customizing prescriptions, monitoring results, and using the lowest effective dose.

While we applaud this ''new'' way of thinking, we have to point out it isn't new at Women's Health America where we have always been ahead of our time! We have been teaching and practicing these principles for more than twenty years! In fact, that is what my book, The HRT Solution, and our Restore^® program are all about.

What the Experts Now Say

''Our recommendation is that if you choose to use hormone therapy...take the lowest dose for the least duration required to provide relief,'' says Dr. Mark McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., and FDA Commissioner. The NAMS 2003 position statement regarding hormone supplementation in peri- and postmenopausal women echoes the same concepts, adding that a complete health evaluation and ''individual risk profile is essential for every woman contemplating any regimen of [hormone therapy].''

Is Low-Dose as Effective?

If this ''new'' low-dose approach has healthcare providers and patients concerned about effectiveness, the Women's HOPE Study (Health, Osteoporosis, Progestin, Estrogen) is one of several that indicate low-dose HT is as effective at the standard doses usually prescribed. The study was conducted on 2,673 postmenopausal women, 40 to 65 years old. It compared the standard daily dose of estrogens (0.625 mg of CEE) with a ¾ dose and ½ dose, with and without a progestin. Two of the combined regimens also used a lower-than-standard progestin dose (1.5 mg MPA). Women's HOPE Study results showed lower-than-standard HT doses are associated with:

• Relief of vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes.
• Improved vaginal lubrication.
• Reduced incidence of breakthrough or unpredictable bleeding, a frequent side effect of traditional HT.
• Help with maintenance of bone density.
• The same positive lipid changes associated with standard doses (though overall impact on clinical cardiovascular outcomes has yet to be resolved.)

Can You Go Too Low?

Low-dose can go too low, which is why testing to establish baseline hormone levels and monitor results is so important. A one-size-fits-all, low-dose prescription may be no more effective for an individual woman than a traditional one-size-fits-all high-dose prescription. The only way for you and your healthcare provider to know the right dose is to measure hormone levels before prescribing, and then again after hormone therapy has begun. When your healthcare provider knows your hormone profile, a customized, low-dose prescription using natural hormones can be written for your unique needs.

Why ''Natural'' Hormones?

The term ''natural'' can be confusing when used in connection with hormones. When we say a hormone is ''natural,'' we are referring to the molecules that make up the structure of the hormone. Natural hormones have chemical structures identical to hormones naturally produced by the body. On the other hand, a ''synthetic'' hormone may have a structure similar to, but not exactly the same as, a hormone produced by the body. Synthetic hormones can act differently in your body and produce substantially different effects, and side effects.

The Restore^® Program

The Women's Health America Restore^® program was created to take the guesswork out of prescribing low-dose natural hormone therapy and to provide the tools and expertise necessary to help you and your healthcare provider monitor results.

The Restore^® program starts with testing. A simple saliva test provides a baseline hormone profile for up to five hormones: estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, and cortisol. Bone resorption rate is determined utilizing the sophisticated NTx urine immunoassay. Follow-up testing is suggested at three months, and then annually (or as needed to affect the correct therapeutic outcome.)

The Restore^® program continues with ongoing support. The Women's Health America staff of healthcare professionals, including a team of registered nurses, registered pharmacists, and health educator, will help ensure the best possible outcome by providing suggestions on specific doses and forms of natural hormones and education for you and your healthcare provider.

If you are not yet ready to commit to a natural hormone therapy regimen but are curious about your bone-loss levels, NTx Bone Loss Analysis Test Kits are available from WHA without a prescription. You simply collect your samples, using the test kit from Women's Health America, and send them to our lab for analysis.

Please call us at 800.558.7046 if you would like more information. We'll be happy to answer questions and do some "new" thinking with you and your healthcare provider.

Here's to a vibrant you,

Marla

For more information, we recommend the following links:

Restore^® Testing

What is a Natural Hormone?

NTx Bone Loss Analysis Test Kit