The Food and Drug Administration’s recent removal of breast cancer warning labels from estrogen products marks a sweeping reversal in guidance on hormone replacement therapy, Dr. Gustav Lo said during an appearance on Live in the D.
“It’s big news because it’s a complete reversal of what the powers that be in medicine have been telling women for about 20 years,” said Lo, chief medical officer for RegenCen and the Cosmetic Skin & Laser Center. “There isn’t any increased risk in breast cancer, which is what’s kept a lot of women away.”
Lo said the FDA’s update acknowledges that a widely cited study from two decades ago “was wrong,” and that women “have been misled and they’ve been missing out on the benefits of hormone replacement therapy.”
Beyond symptom relief, Lo emphasized the long-term health impact of hormone therapy. “These hormones reduce risk pretty dramatically in a whole bunch of different things - heart attack, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, osteoporosis,” he said, noting the FDA’s comments that overall mortality can drop significantly. “When taken altogether, they’re almost as much risk reduction as somebody will get by quitting smoking.”
Lo urged women - especially those between ages 50 and 60 - to revisit the conversation with trained providers. “There’s a window of ideal risk reduction,” he said. While women long past menopause can still benefit, “the women who get the biggest benefit [are] between 50 and 60.”
To watch the segment, click on the video above.
For more details about hormone replacement therapy, visit regencen.com.