Natural and Safe Alternatives to HRT

Conventional HRT

There is much confusion about conventional HRT. One day it is OK and then it is not and then OK again. It can be quite a worry to women with menopausal symptoms who need to use some form of HRT, but do not want to suffer the serious side-effects such as increased risk of breast cancer especially for those who already have or have had cancer. The only clear aspect of this is that women are often left in the dark about the natural and safer forms of HRT. The main hormones in HRT are oestrogen and a synthetic progestogen if a woman still has her uterus. Oestrogen is usually given alone if she has had a hysterectomy. This is because it is believed that a progestogen is not needed to protect the uterus from developing cancer, as it has been removed, which is the only reason it is given in combination with oestrogen. This is staggering when it is well known how protective the body’s own natural progesterone is to breast cancer as well as uterine cancer. Although the synthetic progestogens were designed to protect the uterus from the harmful effects of oestrogen in HRT, they do not do the same for oestrogen sensitive breast tissue. Instead, they can block the body’s own progesterone from naturally balancing and negating the harmful effects of too much oestrogen.

The Natural Alternatives

The natural alternative is firstly supplementing with natural progesterone cream which is very well absorbed through the small blood vessels in the thin-skinned areas of the body, which is easily shown with saliva tests, providing the right base cream is used such as that contained in Unique cream. In most cases, progesterone alone is all that is needed as it is the precursor to nearly all the other steroid hormones including oestrogen. It can balance and raise oestrogen to natural safe levels which can alleviate most menopausal symptoms without the risk of cancer or any other harmful side-effects. However, if oestrogen levels have dropped so low that progesterone cannot raise them enough to give the desired relief of particular symptoms such as hot flushes, low libido and vaginal dryness, then supplementing with a small amount of natural oestrogen can work well in combination with progesterone. These can be in the form of gentle plant oestrogens better known as phytoestrogens. There are many different types, and some are more potent than others. They can come in tablets, tinctures, teas and foods. They can be very effective when the right one is used for a particular constitution. This is a safe form of natural HRT well worth trying and, if necessary, with the help of a naturopath who specialises in hormone balancing therapy.