I read and review supermodel, movie star, anti-aging, makeup, cosmetics, fitness diet and beauty books and celebrity interviews on a regular basis. Lately, three books come to mind where in the famous sex symbol authors (Raquel Welch, Lauren Hutton, and Suzanne Somers) all taut estrogen as an anti-aging solution. Evidently people have taken note as Kim Cattrall’s character Samantha in the movie Sex in the City 2 is obsessed with hormones too. Samantha at 52, is trying to turn back the clock and stay sexy. She has a cosmetic case with things like bioidentical progesterone, estrogen, vitamins and mystery creams. She makes it clear she got her advice from Somers book Breakthrough.

Estrogen is one of the most prescribed hormone drugs for women. For years, women have been placed on estrogen replacement therapy since it is commonly used to treat the symptoms of menopause. Studies that discuss the risks and benefits of estrogen abound, and its use as an anti-aging supplement is sketchy at best. Personally I would not take estrogen. Then again, I’m not in menopause nor do I have any symptoms that would drive me to consider taking something like estrogen. But battling the effects of aging with hormones is the latest trend of the rich and famous celebrity women.

We know that after menopause estrogen levels drop suddenly. Things like hot flashes and loss of bone strength are supposedly linked to the estrogen drop. Since the fifties doctors have prescribed estrogen, called estrogen replacement therapy. Now, they often prescribe a mix of different hormones to combat side effects of estrogen. This is called hormone replacement therapy (or HRT), also known as Menopausal Hormone Replacement Therapy (MHT). One of the hormones they often give along with the estrogen is progesterone. The progesterone is supposed to keep the uterus healthy. At one point after an unsuccessful round of injected fertility drugs/miscarriage, I was prescribed this hormone cocktail to help get my system back in regulation. I did a little research about it and once I saw cancer mentioned as a possible side effect I jettisoned the pills and let the doctor know I didn’t want to take them.

Maybe I over-reacted because the injections aren’t so cancer safe either. I’ve heard that MHT can decrease hearth disease and bone fracture risks in women. But it can increase your chance of a stroke or blood clot. Who knows – you can find a theory to prove or disprove virtually anything if you surf the web long enough. The FDA says that MHT should be used for the smallest time possible. Do you want to listen to Suzanne Somers and the doctor’s she uses, or do you want to listen to the FDA. Tough call!

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