July/August 1997 Issue

Hormonious Heart: Reviews and Resources

Editor’s Note: These resources are possible sources for more information; they should not be taken as “recommendations” from either Michael Castleman or the MoJo Wire. There’s a lot of misleading and false medical information out there, so use your judgment and consult a trusted doctor when in doubt.

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I N P R I N T

Hormone Replacement Therapy may be relatively risk free, but there are some who would say it’s also unnecessary — including Margaret Morganroth Gullette, the author of Declining to Decline: Cultural Combat and the Politics of Midlife (Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1997). Gullette challenges the popular notion that we should fight aging every step of the way and advocates a dismissal of the technologies that keeps us artifically young — including HRT.

“If the mainstream had a menoboom-resistant strain of writers,” she argues, “Journalists could write articles as long as they like about ‘Better Sex after Menopause,’ and ‘Carefree after Fifty.'”

Gullette’s personal discomforts about aging are notable, making it hard to read the book as an unbiased study of middle age. But she does have a point — the most natural way to resist aging is not to resist at all. 

A R O U N D T H E N E T

COLUMBIA/HCA HEALTHCARE CORP.: THE PROS AND CONS OF HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY
The self-proclaimed “Premier Healthcare Information Site” weighs the risks and rewards of HRT. Roy C. Saguiguit, M.D., Columbia doctor, never does say why HRT works, but gives a good overview of what signs mean danger.

NEW ENGLAND RESEARCH INSTUTUTES: WHAT IS HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY?
This NERI page includes a brief history of HRT, and points out why studies aren’t the truest indicator of danger. The site also has handy graphics with anatomically correct stick figures, and hit-and-miss anchor tags (some work, some don’t, so be ready to scroll).

NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE’S FACT SHEET ON MENOPAUSAL HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY
Starting with a thorough description of what menopause actually is, the NCI’s fact sheet covers all the bases, including some predictions for HRT’s future, and a list of contact numbers for more information.

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We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

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