Hormone therapy reduced risk for breast cancer after hysterectomy
Postmenopausal women who have undergone hysterectomy had a reduced incidence of breast cancer and cardiovascular events after treatment with conjugated equine estrogens, according to results from the Women’s Health Initiative.
However, researchers said estrogen did not have any effect on coronary heart disease, deep vein thrombosis, stroke, hip fracture, colorectal cancer or total mortality.
Researchers set out to examine health outcomes associated with randomization to treatment with conjugated equine estrogens (Premarin, Wyeth) among women with prior hysterectomy after a mean of 10.7 years of follow-up through August 2009. In the analysis, 3,778 women were assigned to daily 0.625 mg hormone therapy, whereas another 3,867 were assigned to placebo.
Participants were postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 years recruited at 40 US locations from 1993 to 1998.
Rates of invasive breast cancer were similar during the intervention (HR=0.79; 95% CI, 0.61-1.02) and postintervention phases (HR=0.75; 95% CI, 0.51-1.09) of the study. Women in the estrogen group had a statistically significant lower cumulative incidence of breast cancer compared with the placebo group, 0.27% vs. 0.35% (HR=0.77, 95% CI, 0.62-0.95).
Incidence of colorectal cancer did not differ between the two groups.
Although the risk for stroke, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism were elevated during the intervention phase for women assigned to estrogen, researchers said the increased risk factor disappeared postintervention. For all cardiovascular events, the HR was 2.26% in the estrogen group vs. 2.12% in the placebo group.
Writing in an accompanying editorial, Emily S. Jungheim, MD, MSCI, and Graham A. Colditz, MD, DrPH, said although these results show that adverse event rates are low and largely limited to current use of unopposed estrogen, there does not appear to be a substantial benefit associated with hormone therapy.
“There may still be a role for short-term use of unopposed estrogen for treating some women with menopausal symptoms, but this role may be vanishing as existing and emerging data continue to be better understood in terms of application to patients,” they wrote. “Despite the evidence linking unopposed estrogen [hormone therapy] use to breast cancer, many clinicians and patients make decisions to use hormone therapy. Clinicians must be aware of the implications of these decisions. They must interpret new and existing data, and must understand the value and limitations of the data when making recommendations.”
CI rains lathi blows on women
VIZIANAGARAM: In a blatant display of power and arrogance, a circle inspector indiscriminately beat up women health workers, including elderly persons, here on Thursday when they were demanding their pending wages.
The police official, T Trinadh, was suspended and an inquiry ordered by the government after women’s organisations raised a furore over his actions.
Trinadh rained lathi blows on Asha health workers at Mayuri junction here in a bid to stop them from laying a siege to the office of the district medical and health officer. Even before the injured women could recover from their shock, the CI kept targeting other women with his lathi.
What left the passersby gasping in shock was his brutal assault on a 60-year-old woman. Three other elderly women also suffered severe injuries. An elderly woman, who was sent reeling under an avalanche of lothi blows, pleaded for mercy but the CI would have none of it. She could not get up for almost 20 minutes because of a severe pain.
It all started when the Asha workers were staging a protest and involved in a tussle at Mayuri Junction with women constables. The agitators, who were conducting a peaceful rally, were stopped by the cops when they wanted to enter the DM&HO office. In the melee, two women constables fell down. Upon seeing this, the CI lost his cool and started beating up whoever came in his sight even as the terrorised women ran for cover.
Shockingly, nearly 350 constables, including 15 women cops, were deployed to `control’ the agitating workers. Sources said that not a single cop was involved in the lathicharge except the CI. “He was the only one who caned the women in a brutal manner. No civilised cop would treat women in such inhuman manner,” women’s activist Vimala said.
After public outcry and video footage continuously aired on various TV channels, home minister P Sabita Indra Reddy inquired about the incident and asked Vizianagaram SP Naveen Gulati to take immediate action against the official. The CI was suspended later.
Progressive Organisation of Women’s leader P Sandhya said that it was a vulgar display of brutal power of police, while Devi of Praja Natya Mandali said it had become a habit for cops to show their brute power on helpless women.
Meanwhile, Naveen Gulati agreed that the CI had over-reacted. “But the Asha workers had targeted the cops and two women home guards received injuries,” he said. Additional SP G Prem Babu would conduct a probe into the incident.
Religious Leaders Speak Out on Women’s Health
Are politicians ruining women’s health? That’s what some say, when it comes to issues like abortion. Today, advocates for women’s health care rallied in Washington. But locally, the religious community took a stand.
Newschannel 8′s Kim Jackson was there. Abortion and women’s choice were both topics a sanctuary today. Religious leaders were speaking out after a controversial abortion bill went too far, in their opinion.
Reverend Mary McAnally says she was compelled to tell her own story.
“Date raped at 16, 100 years ago, before Roe v Wade. I had to go to Arkansas for an illegal abortion. I was rendered unable to have children because of the damage,” she explained from the podium at All Souls Unitarian.
She and other religious leaders feel politicians are damaging women’s health. In Oklahoma, they are against a bill that bans abortions, after 20-weeks.
The bills author, says it’s because a fetus can feel pain—some here don’t buy that.
“The research is conclusive, not accurate,” said Kelly Jennings, who also co-heads up the Oklahoma Religious Coalition For Reproductive Choice.
The group invited other religious leaders to speak out against Oklahoma’s controversial bill. because they say it violates a woman’s religious rights.
“There are so many decisions that women have to make in healthcare and that needs to be between a woman and her doctor, and a woman and her faith leader,” said Jennings.
Faith leaders there, said lawmakers should back off. But the bill has been approved in the house and the senate so far.
Reverend McAnally says she went on to adopt two children, decades ago. But today, she speaks out and is pro-choice, from the pulpit.
“The support is for government to leave us alone, not to try to define what we should or shouldn’t do health wise,” she said.