PROVERA (progestin) RISKS *ALERT*** VASCULAR SYSTEM..(arteries, veins, blood vessels, heart. lungs, breast cancer etc., etc.)

[Guest guest]

HI all, since 'I' think this is so important and most of you are aware of my thoughts on progestins and progesterone, (negative) for our overall health in many ways, I thought I'd share it here.

See my comments about it at the end. (long of course) *smile* I also added some other 'few' links to backup what I'm saying so you know it's not just my theory or bias.

(Note too how it ties in with V pain)

Dee T.

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Released: Mon 10-Mar-2008, 08:50 ET

Study Raises Questions on Synthetic Progestins

Contact InformationAvailable for logged-in reporters only

Description

The widely used synthetic progestin medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA)

(aka PROVERA, Dee T.) 'decreased' endothelial function in premenopausal women in

a study done at the University of Oregon. The finding, researchers said, raises concerns

about long-term effects of MPA and possibly other synthetic hormones on vascular health in young women.

The vascular endothelium lines the inside of blood vessels.

In recent years, it has been found to be a dynamic organ that serves an important role in the prevention of atherosclerosis.

"The logical conclusion of this study is that over a long period of time it would not be good to have exposure to an agent that is reducing blood vessel flexibility, because it could be associated with the development of heart disease or related problems," said co-author Dr. F. Kaplan, a long-time Eugene gynecologist and senior researcher in the UO's human physiology department. He stressed, however, that a longer, larger study is needed.

MPA is the progestin that was used in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), including a clinical study on hormone-replacement therapy halted because of health concerns in postmenopausal women. MPA is the active ingredient of Provera, which is used to treat abnormal uterine bleeding, induce menstrual cycles and relieve symptoms of the menopause.

(Used to supposedly protect the uterus if on estrogen for HRT replacement, and for no other reason!) Dee T)

It's also the component in Depo/Provera, an injectible long-lasting contraceptive used by many young women. Millions of women use various hormone therapies with a variety of progestin types for contraception.

In the U.S. alone, 80 percent of women have used oral contraceptives!

The UO study, appearing online ahead of regular publication by the American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology, is among the first to focus on the impact of MPA in premenopausal women.

Fourteen women, 19-27 years old, took part in the study after passing thorough medical exams to screen out numerous health conditions.

The five-member UO team -- led by R. Meendering, a former UO doctoral student now a professor of exercise science at the University of Nebraska in Omaha -- studied the effects of the sex hormone estradiol by itself and in combination with MPA on endothelial function of the brachial artery.

The health of the endothelium in this artery has been shown to be a telling proxy for the coronary arteries and a good predictor of cardiovascular risk.

When researchers gave an oral version of MPA to determine its impact, they found that it wiped out the positive effects on endothelial function that estradiol had provided.

MPA reduced the function by reducing the brachial artery's ability to dilate -- grow bigger in diameter -- in response to the stress of changing blood flow, Kaplan said.

UO researchers also found that MPA had an effect on concentrations of endothelin-1, a peptide that promotes cell division and serves as a ''mediator of inflammation''.

It also acts as a 'constricting' factor for blood vessels.

(COMMENT: Consider how it might affect high blood pressure as well! Dee T)

When peptide levels rise, endothelin-1 is suspected to play a key role in many diseases of the airways, pulmonary circulation, inflammatory lung diseases and vasoconstriction of blood vessels.

UO researchers saw these levels 'decline' with 'estradiol' alone, but increase substantially with the addition of MPA, negating the benefits of the estrogen.

"There is an 'overwhelming' amount of evidence to suggest that estrogen is 'beneficial' to arterial vascular health of women," Meendering said.

"Since the WHI found either no benefit or a slight increase in adverse cardiovascular events in postmenopausal women taking ''combination'' hormone-replacement therapy containing estrogen and MPA, (Prempro) many have questioned the vascular effects MPA and its use in postmenopausal women. This led our group to question how MPA affects the vasculature in young women.

"We need to be taking the time to find out if different synthetic hormones have different effects on vascular health in young women," she said. "It's not a big health concern right now, because there are no obvious short-term effects raising health concerns. But we don't know how these synthetic hormones taken by young women affect their long-term cardiovascular health.

Maybe effects aren't being noticed while women are young, but maybe they are adding to the fact that rates of cardiovascular disease are so high in women."

Kaplan stressed that this project was a starting point of "major basic science research, so this study does not say women should change what they are doing."

(IT SHOULD~~~~~~~~~!!!!!!! Dee T)

"We can say that we saw vascular changes in the arteries of the arm that have been shown in previous studies involving coronary arteries," he added.

"This study does let us say that whatever changes we are seeing are important not just for the arm but probably for most of the major arteries in the body, and this is important for cardiac disease."

The research was done in the Exercise and Environmental Physiology Laboratories of co-author T. Minson, a UO professor of human physiology. The study was supported in part by grants from the Medical Research Foundation of Oregon to Minson and by a Eugene and Clarissa Evonuk Graduate Fellowship to Meendering. Additional research is planned under a grant from the National Institutes of Health, Kaplan said.

Other co-authors were doctoral student Britta N. Torgrimson and undergraduate P. .

About the University of OregonThe University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of 62 of the leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. Membership in the AAU is by invitation only. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

SOURCE: http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/538471/?sc=mwhn

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COMMENTS by Dee Troll

This study above, even though it's a very small one certainly agrees with all I know about progestins and have known for quite some time, many years in fact, and it absolutely frustrates me to no end since there were many studies and articles out there long 'before' the huge one by the WHI in 2002 that was withdrawn showing similiar effects, why did they not realize this tie in with the progestins before??

It's especially sad to think of those who took the combination pill PREMPRO.. (Made w. PREMARIN and PROVERA) with the final results of that WHI study (2002) being pulled because of the increased risks not only with breast cancer but also with heart risks and others, and in my opinion likely to play a large part in high blood pressure, since the arteries lose their elasticity as just suggested. And by the way a new recent report is out with lung tumors and cancer once usage of the 'combo' was stopped.

It was caused by the progestin used, 'Provera', and even though the synthetic estrogen used was Premarin in that study, (which I'd certainly not use) it was the progestin that created the major problems and they are just now realizing that?

Yet they and the media constantly promoted the problems as being associated with the word 'estrogen' (and rarely disclosing the type) or HRT, when estrogen NEVER was the problem in my opinion and so it frightened many physicians and women away from the huge benefits of a natural estrogen such as 'estradiol'. The concensus seemed to be ''let's throw out all HRT replacement or use as little as possible' with most having no idea of what was truly going on or the tremendous benefits of the right kind of estrogen replacement if it's needed.

If a person just heard the word estrogen they were often frightened to death without knowing all of the actual facts and very few (including physicians) let alone those in the media, ever read the full study. Of course the product was being pushed by Big Pharma (Wyeth) who markets Premarin & Provera separately as well as Prempro the combination. Follow the money indeed~

What is extremely frustrating to me, was that there was a study just as large a few yrs before that one, done back in 2000, that showed the same results by the Nat'l Cancer Inst. let alone years earlier with smaller studies that also showed the same results when the progestin was added.

'I' personally would stay away from all progestins and even progesterone in your HRT if you can...(and I do) since exogenous progesterone (even though natural) reacts on the body in a similiar way. I would only use the natural bio-identical 'estradiol' in products like Estrace, or the 'patches' or pill inserts like Vagifem (as long as it is an estradiol product) or else have estradiol compounded... and if you must use a progesterone, at least "I" would make sure it is a natural one like Prometrium, though I would use as little as possible.

Sorry for the rant but this information I feel is extremely important to know for a womans overall whole health, let alone vascular or breast cancer risks, and to realize that such products as Provera used in HRT replacement can be very detrimental. What may be even more frightening is the fact that it's used in most contraceptive products, Depo Provera for instance is 100% provera, and in fact it is in most birth control contraceptives.

I also know that birth control pills also lower not only our good natural estrogen (estradiol) but also our testosterone and the libido decreases that go along with that, and don't forget the vulvar pain issues being associated with those losses of E & T.

(See just a 'few' links I put here but there are so many others)

Estrogen receptor expression in vulvar vestibulitis syndrome

http://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(03)00365-X/abstract

Androgen Insufficiency May Lead to Vulvar Vestibulitis and Genital Pain

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/492121?src=mp

''Combined'' HRT Increases Breast Cancer Risk

http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=17919

Another quote from one I have : ..."(using estrogen 'and' progestin daily) - face a 100 percent increase in breast-cancer risk, reports I. Li, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues in the June 25,03 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association." And that was whether they add a progestin 'daily' or sequentially' though daily was worse.

(Sorry I can't find the link to that one and it may be mentioned in the next link)

http://www.fhcrc.org/about/ne/news/2003/06/24/hrt.html

This link is on an article from '2003, about HRT from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and it mentions using E alone (unopposed E with no progestin or progesterone) even up to 25 yrs and the person had no greater risks than those never taking hormones and states this on breast cancer.....Quote- "It appears that HRT ''must'' contain progesterone to promote breast-cancer growth"

http://www.cancerpage.com/news/article.asp?id=8234

'Progestogen In HRT May Be Linked with Increased Breast Cancer Risk'

That's another one from '05, on breast cancer & progestins.

I show those just as a tiny example of what is already known and IS out there.

Anyway I am just SO extremely frustrated here with our medical system and the drug companies lack of knowledge (or deception?) when other legitimate medical information is already out there.

If I can find it and am aware of it why can't they?

Also be sure to check out this other link which I recently sent out and the possibility of lung tumors for those who 'were' on HRT (combination).

'After' hormone therapy, new cancers arise'

http://medaus.com/?p=337,7979

Suggesting how even when 'stopping' the HRT 'combo' regimen it may also increase Lung tumors and other cancer risks down the road, it too was done with the use of the combination pill (Prempro) with the synthetic premarin & provera, with 15,730 participants tracked through March 2005.

It all ties in together with P being the main culprit and NOT estrogen. So personally 'I' would stay away from all progestins esp. PROVERA (MPA) and progesterone too if possible, and remember that it is also in most birth control methods that I am aware of.

My opinion with what I've learned and researched of course, (and do myself) and this latest one above with how detrimental it may be to the vascular system just reenforces it. Unfortunately.

Yours most humbly,

Dee T.