I was diagnosed with extremely dense breasts and fibrocystic breasts at the age of 25-lucky me, I have both! Now, at 50 years old, I have never taken any birth control pills. However, I started hormone replacement therapy (HRT) about three years ago to address my PMS symptoms. My breasts have remained extremely dense even before I began HRT.
Superb information and clear explanations, thank you so much💛 I wish the majority of doctors knew all these important truths, and helped instead of hindered their mid-life women patients. Why don't they? 🤔😭 You're great, Dr Gersh, thank you 😊xx
Thank you so much for this video. I started HRT 5 weeks ago and was going to get off of it because I am having breast tenderness. I have been so scared I to thinking I will get breast cancer after taking HRT. Ironically after my last mammogram taken post menopausal I was shown to have breast dense tissue. My doctor never mentioned anything about it. It makes sense. After menopause all of a sudden my cholesterol went up, my blood sugar levels went up, etc. My body must have been suffering from so much inflammation. It is so sad that most doctors do not truly understand menopause, I had to fight to get on HRT.
A lot of this reasoning seems to be another good example of distinguishing, in health science, between X being a marker for Y vs. X being a cause of Y. This is a fabulous, brilliant video.
Wow! Thank you for this information, Dr Felice! 🫶🏼 A question: Can inflammation due to estradiol deficiency (menopause) be measured with the C-reactive protein test (CRP)?
Ok. So, I have extremely dense breasts. What is the next step? 1) confirm it’s caused by inflammation? 2) assume it’s inflammation, and reduce it? 2a) reduce it by physiological dose estradiol? 2b) try to figure out what caused the inflammation? Or is not having estradiol the cause of inflammation? I did not know that my body could make estrogen of any kind after a total hysterectomy at my 19th birthday (melon-size teratoma ovarian cancer). This discussion on top of the other Felice podcasts that I am intently listening to today (I just discoveredDrFelice today ), brings me a hundred questions. I’m celebrating 51 years cancer-free. I’d like to keep celebrating for more years to come, doing the best I can to be my healthiest self.
If there is already DCIS or LCIS in the breast - Will taking estradiol promote it’s growth and possibly cause it to become invasive? What about estriol - does that carry a risk if there is DCIS or LCIS in the breast?
I have “ extremely dense breasts” for many years. 70 years oldOnly in the past few months put on estradiol after decades of no hrt, preceded by estimate of 20 years of Premarin. None of my doctors, (GP, endocrinologist, gynecologist) nor radiologist ever mentioned any concernsnor mentioned possible inflammation, and especially never suggested any treatment or further testing to discover the “why” of my inflammation, and if it could be related to any other issues I’m experiencing.
Will you talk more on what the measurements would be if taking a "physiologic" level of estrogen? It keeps being mentioned, but not to degree of what it would look like in the blood work or even on a Dutch test. Also, discuss the blood work...which tests do you run? Is there a specific time of the month that you test for each hormone?
Dear Dr. Gersh - Thank you for your insight. I have been on estradiol and cycling progesterone since I was 51 - now 64. I've had no other diseases associated with age. I feel healthy and happy. I have only taken the .05 vivelle dot. Is it possible to go on the higher dose of estradiol to protect my bones? Like perhaps 1.00
Estrone is produced in your fat cells. It's why you can develop a belly after menopause. Your estrodial greatly decreases from your ovaries so your body replaces it with higher levels of estrone by increasing your belly fat. But bio-identical estrodial can reduce your estrone levels. They have an inverse relationship. When estrodial is up during your reproductive years, estrone is down. When estrodial goes down during menopause, estrone goes up.
Thank you for the share. I am on the 80/20 Bi Est and now have the belly fat I did not have before. I'm wondering if the estradiol needs to be higher than 20%? It's been a bit confusing to get this right.
Please talk about Duavee which blocks estrogen to the breasts. What are the pros and cons. And hw can you reduce inflammation in your breasts as you age!
According to Dr. Mary Claire Haver author of The New Menopause (as well as numerous medically professionals specializing in women’s health, for most women there is no need to stop HRT.
What about women with naturally dense breasts by heredity? I've always had dense breasts. Both my mother and my grandmother had extremely dense breasts as do I now and saw them in my mammograms once I stated those. I live a completely healthy lifestyle. My grandma lived to 93 and my mom is currently 92. Now, at 55, I've lived my entire life eating healthy exercising minimally because I don't have any issues with weight and I have no issues with insulin resistance. I even stopped drinking any alcohol in 2022 because I didn't want any extra inflammation in my body or aging my face. Truth be told, I'm kinda a health fanatic. I take supplements, I eat all the foods that people are always told to eat that are anti-inflammatory. I prefer a Mediterranean diet over almost anything else and my doctor says I'm the pillar of Health. He says my lab numbers are in the top 1% of his entire panel. I have 97 HDL, 36 LDL, perfect fasting glucose, thyroid and all of my hormone numbers look right for now. My overall everything is in steller statistics. However my period is just starting to cycle down. I've skipped a few months so I'm heading into menopause and I'm concerned about taking over-the-counter creams where they mix the progesterone and the estriol just to stay ahead of the risks of stroke, heart attack and so forth. Not to mention osteoporosis which I've been diagnosed with already because being that I'm so fit I never exercised and I could still wear a bikini. So now that I know I have osteoporosis, I have to start because it's a matter of my bone health. What would you say are my risk factors if I've always had naturally dense breasts? PS, I see you are in Irvine. My cousins live there and I'm not far from you... I'm near Rancho Cucamonga!
Wow! Why didn’t my doctors say anything about this?! And why for many years, patients were not even told they had dense or very dense breasts? All to save money, I’m sure.
Every year my mammograms require follow up ultrasounds/mammograms due to benign cysts/dense breast. Usually the cysts disappear on their own but it's been happening so much that I'm trying to decide if I should just give up on HRT altogether. I don't really want to but it's stressful.
@@lacincilla2533Why don't you do hormonal panel using urine and bloodwork with inflammation markers. Do you expose yourself to xenoestrogens in personal care products,perfumes "air fresheners "and all kinds of plastics (phthalates, parabens) they all contribute to toxic load.
There is no reason to be confused. This is an excellent presentation. The studies are clear. Women on HRT have lower rates of breast cancer than those who are not. It is better to replace lost hormones than not in most cases. Estrogen does not cause breast cancer and dense breasts are also not a root cause. What you should consider are other risk factors such as your lifestyle and whether or not you are insulin resistant. There are blood tests you can have, such as your fasting insulin level, which can help determine this, but overall, if you lead a healthy lifestyle, are not obese or diabetic, both of which cause inflammation and insulin resistance, you will most likely benefit by taking HRT, even if you have dense breasts. If you do insulin resistance, or are diabetic, you need to address that by modifying your lifestyle because both insulin resistance and diabetes are definite risk factors for cancer. Dense breasts do make it harder to evaluate a mammogram, but mammograms are not the end all and be all for breast cancer detection. It is a tool that may help in cancer detection, but it is not infallible or without its own risks. There are many false positives, and even if you don’t have dense breasts, mammograms often fail to detect cancer when it is there. The bottom line is you have to make an informed choice as to whether or not you believe HRT is right for you. It is an individual decision, but don’t be misled by some of the misinformation that many doctors who have not kept up with current research give you.
I am 66 and have just started HRT because I didn’t know I should have been doing it for many years but hopefully better late than never. I have always been very healthy and maintain a lifestyle. I have dense breasts. What could be the cause of the inflammation? Can I change that?
Actually there is an opinion HRT is more risky to start after 65. The sooner the better. Don’t want to fear monger you - study the topic probably it’s better for you not to HRT.
@@summerbird4288 That is based on the individual's health. They must get their heart checked (EKG, Echo-gram, and/or Stress test), bone density test, and brain activity. If 60 and up and are in good health, then HRT will be beneficial for them. Many doctors on UA-cam have stated so.
@@rdiemidio65 I know! the problem is-- the doctors, med people, basically won't allow an order for ultrasound without first getting mammogram. Sick. Everyone should know that radiation can affect the cells ie in bone marrow ( I have some abnormality. I suspect from the radiation for malignant breast lump 2010.
So there is no option for women who are breast ca survivors - estrogen+, progesterone+ DCIS - who were on the combipatch during post menopause to be given the green light by the oncologists to go back on it. That is what is the gold standard. #HRTWASAWESOME
NO children, 50+ if going by what you're saying my only purpose in life is to feed a child, wouldn't it make more sense to remove them? Thus no more induced "screening" causing breast cander, what is the point?
I was diagnosed with extremely dense breasts and fibrocystic breasts at the age of 25-lucky me, I have both! Now, at 50 years old, I have never taken any birth control pills. However, I started hormone replacement therapy (HRT) about three years ago to address my PMS symptoms. My breasts have remained extremely dense even before I began HRT.
Superb information and clear explanations, thank you so much💛
I wish the majority of doctors knew all these important truths, and helped instead of hindered their mid-life women patients. Why don't they? 🤔😭
You're great, Dr Gersh, thank you 😊xx
Thank you so much for this video. I started HRT 5 weeks ago and was going to get off of it because I am having breast tenderness. I have been so scared I to thinking I will get breast cancer after taking HRT. Ironically after my last mammogram taken post menopausal I was shown to have breast dense tissue. My doctor never mentioned anything about it. It makes sense. After menopause all of a sudden my cholesterol went up, my blood sugar levels went up, etc. My body must have been suffering from so much
inflammation. It is so sad that most doctors do not truly understand menopause, I had to fight to get on HRT.
A lot of this reasoning seems to be another good example of distinguishing, in health science, between X being a marker for Y vs. X being a cause of Y. This is a fabulous, brilliant video.
Wow! Thank you for this information, Dr Felice! 🫶🏼 A question: Can inflammation due to estradiol deficiency (menopause) be measured with the C-reactive protein test (CRP)?
Thank you for being so updated!
You are so helpful! What do you consider to be the physiological dose of Estradiol & Progesterone in a post menopausal woman?
Thank you so much Dr. Felice, This is a magistral class 🎉❤
Hormone testing is too expensive for most women to keep an eye on estrone.
How can we lower our estrone levels?
I'd like to know more about estrone too 😊xx
@@anne-louisegoldie fixaflash and womens health network are good resources.
@@anne-louisegoldiecheck out info from Dr. Mary Claire Haver and Dr. Lisa Mosconi.
Try to slim down, because fat cells produce estrone.
Ok. So, I have extremely dense breasts.
What is the next step?
1) confirm it’s caused by inflammation?
2) assume it’s inflammation, and reduce it?
2a) reduce it by physiological dose estradiol?
2b) try to figure out what caused the inflammation? Or is not having estradiol the cause of inflammation?
I did not know that my body could make estrogen of any kind after a total hysterectomy at my 19th birthday (melon-size teratoma ovarian cancer).
This discussion on top of the other Felice podcasts that I am intently listening to today (I just discoveredDrFelice today ), brings me a hundred questions.
I’m celebrating 51 years cancer-free. I’d like to keep celebrating for more years to come, doing the best I can to be my healthiest self.
If there is already DCIS or LCIS in the breast - Will taking estradiol promote it’s growth and possibly cause it to become invasive? What about estriol - does that carry a risk if there is DCIS or LCIS in the breast?
It’s been said that having optimal levels of estradiol, “pushes down” estrone?
I have “ extremely dense breasts” for many years. 70 years oldOnly in the past few months put on estradiol after decades of no hrt, preceded by estimate of 20 years of Premarin. None of my doctors, (GP, endocrinologist, gynecologist) nor radiologist ever mentioned any concernsnor mentioned possible inflammation, and especially never suggested any treatment or further testing to discover the “why” of my inflammation, and if it could be related to any other issues I’m experiencing.
Fascinating! Thank you, I learned so much from this video.
Will you talk more on what the measurements would be if taking a "physiologic" level of estrogen? It keeps being mentioned, but not to degree of what it would look like in the blood work or even on a Dutch test. Also, discuss the blood work...which tests do you run? Is there a specific time of the month that you test for each hormone?
What about QT imaging? It's supposed to be safer than Mammograms and uses sound waves.
I would like to hear opinion on the QT imaging too
What does qt imaging stand for
Dear Dr. Gersh - Thank you for your insight. I have been on estradiol and cycling progesterone since I was 51 - now 64. I've had no other diseases associated with age. I feel healthy and happy. I have only taken the .05 vivelle dot. Is it possible to go on the higher dose of estradiol to protect my bones? Like perhaps 1.00
She has said in other videos that bone growth only happens in the .1 mg estradiol patch. The highest dose is needed.
@bluejean-1968 Do you know where one can get this patch? I'm 66 and just found out I have osteoporosis 34% loss in my pelvis. Thanks!
@@wendymccleary1465 I get my patches from Walmart pharmacy. You'll need a prescription.
Estrone is produced in your fat cells. It's why you can develop a belly after menopause. Your estrodial greatly decreases from your ovaries so your body replaces it with higher levels of estrone by increasing your belly fat. But bio-identical estrodial can reduce your estrone levels. They have an inverse relationship. When estrodial is up during your reproductive years, estrone is down. When estrodial goes down during menopause, estrone goes up.
Thank you for the share. I am on the 80/20 Bi Est and now have the belly fat I did not have before. I'm wondering if the estradiol needs to be higher than 20%? It's been a bit confusing to get this right.
This is very helpful. I never understood this.
This explains possibly why I had a skinny body everywhere except my belly.
If your breasts have already lost their structure on account of HRT that was too conservative can increasing estrogen improve the issue?
Thank you.
What about weight gain after initiating BHRT? Does this mean that bad estrogen is proliferating in your fat tissues and causing inflammation?
It is important to clearify that insulin resistance is the root cause of cancer which is why cancer is also called Type 4 Diabetes.
I got breast cancer 2 yrs ago . I was on hormone patches. Iam ER positive now have to take anti hormones 😢
Please talk about Duavee which blocks estrogen to the breasts. What are the pros and cons. And hw can you reduce inflammation in your breasts as you age!
I am confused about whether I should stop HTR. I am 58 and have been on HTR for the past 10 years with extremely dense breasts.
According to Dr. Mary Claire Haver author of The New Menopause (as well as numerous medically professionals specializing in women’s health, for most women there is no need to stop HRT.
NO NO NO .
Is it normal to have no estrone in your blood?
What about women with naturally dense breasts by heredity? I've always had dense breasts. Both my mother and my grandmother had extremely dense breasts as do I now and saw them in my mammograms once I stated those. I live a completely healthy lifestyle. My grandma lived to 93 and my mom is currently 92. Now, at 55, I've lived my entire life eating healthy exercising minimally because I don't have any issues with weight and I have no issues with insulin resistance. I even stopped drinking any alcohol in 2022 because I didn't want any extra inflammation in my body or aging my face. Truth be told, I'm kinda a health fanatic. I take supplements, I eat all the foods that people are always told to eat that are anti-inflammatory. I prefer a Mediterranean diet over almost anything else and my doctor says I'm the pillar of Health. He says my lab numbers are in the top 1% of his entire panel. I have 97 HDL, 36 LDL, perfect fasting glucose, thyroid and all of my hormone numbers look right for now. My overall everything is in steller statistics. However my period is just starting to cycle down. I've skipped a few months so I'm heading into menopause and I'm concerned about taking over-the-counter creams where they mix the progesterone and the estriol just to stay ahead of the risks of stroke, heart attack and so forth. Not to mention osteoporosis which I've been diagnosed with already because being that I'm so fit I never exercised and I could still wear a bikini. So now that I know I have osteoporosis, I have to start because it's a matter of my bone health. What would you say are my risk factors if I've always had naturally dense breasts? PS, I see you are in Irvine. My cousins live there and I'm not far from you... I'm near Rancho Cucamonga!
How do we reduce breast inflammation?
Wow! Why didn’t my doctors say anything about this?! And why for many years, patients were not even told they had dense or very dense breasts? All to save money, I’m sure.
I’m pos meno, 63yo, with very high dense breasts. No mammograms for me anymore, but just MRI once a year.
How does this work in cases of fibrocystic breasts?
so what is the patient going to do with a dense breast mammogram? What is the next step????
Every year my mammograms require follow up ultrasounds/mammograms due to benign cysts/dense breast. Usually the cysts disappear on their own but it's been happening so much that I'm trying to decide if I should just give up on HRT altogether. I don't really want to but it's stressful.
Or maybe give up mammograms
Started HRT finally after years of suffering. Mammogram last year indicated I had dense breasts. I'm 62. Very confused now.
Low carb is the answer. Plus avoid all plants high in oxalic acid. Follow Sally K Norton.
I am confused as well. I am 58 on HTR with extremely dense breasts.
Why she just explained your case here perfectly.
@@lacincilla2533Why don't you do hormonal panel using urine and bloodwork with inflammation markers. Do you expose yourself to xenoestrogens in personal care products,perfumes "air fresheners "and all kinds of plastics (phthalates, parabens) they all contribute to toxic load.
There is no reason to be confused. This is an excellent presentation. The studies are clear. Women on HRT have lower rates of breast cancer than those who are not. It is better to replace lost hormones than not in most cases. Estrogen does not cause breast cancer and dense breasts are also not a root cause. What you should consider are other risk factors such as your lifestyle and whether or not you are insulin resistant. There are blood tests you can have, such as your fasting insulin level, which can help determine this, but overall, if you lead a healthy lifestyle, are not obese or diabetic, both of which cause inflammation and insulin resistance, you will most likely benefit by taking HRT, even if you have dense breasts. If you do insulin resistance, or are diabetic, you need to address that by modifying your lifestyle because both insulin resistance and diabetes are definite risk factors for cancer. Dense breasts do make it harder to evaluate a mammogram, but mammograms are not the end all and be all for breast cancer detection. It is a tool that may help in cancer detection, but it is not infallible or without its own risks. There are many false positives, and even if you don’t have dense breasts, mammograms often fail to detect cancer when it is there. The bottom line is you have to make an informed choice as to whether or not you believe HRT is right for you. It is an individual decision, but don’t be misled by some of the misinformation that many doctors who have not kept up with current research give you.
I am 66 and have just started HRT because I didn’t know I should have been doing it for many years but hopefully better late than never. I have always been very healthy and maintain a lifestyle. I have dense breasts. What could be the cause of the inflammation? Can I change that?
I just turned 60 and not on any HRT. No one told me I should be on HRT.
@@canislupus7463a lot of us use HRT. If you don’t, good for you but no one cares, really.
Actually there is an opinion HRT is more risky to start after 65. The sooner the better. Don’t want to fear monger you - study the topic probably it’s better for you not to HRT.
@@summerbird4288 That is based on the individual's health. They must get their heart checked (EKG, Echo-gram, and/or Stress test), bone density test, and brain activity. If 60 and up and are in good health, then HRT will be beneficial for them. Many doctors on UA-cam have stated so.
Mammo doesn't always pick up lumps. Self exams crucial but now I hear govt doesn't recommend self exams. I strongly disagree.
Ultrasound picks up things mammo's can't. Without any radiation.
@@rdiemidio65 I know! the problem is-- the doctors, med people, basically won't allow an order for ultrasound without first getting mammogram. Sick. Everyone should know that radiation can affect the cells ie in bone marrow ( I have some abnormality. I suspect from the radiation for malignant breast lump 2010.
@@glenlev Geez awful
So there is no option for women who are breast ca survivors - estrogen+, progesterone+ DCIS - who were on the combipatch during post menopause to be given the green light by the oncologists to go back on it. That is what is the gold standard. #HRTWASAWESOME
So is bioidentical vaginal cream something women shouldn’t use?
Do you recommend wild yam as a more natural way than the estradiol bioidentical cream??
There isn’t any real studies that promote wild yam. Today’s HRT is made to act body identical.
Wild yam on its own will not give you any estro.
No, your body does not have what it takes to convert!
NO children, 50+ if going by what you're saying my only purpose in life is to feed a child, wouldn't it make more sense to remove them? Thus no more induced "screening" causing breast cander, what is the point?