• HotFlash! Therapy Guide
• Hotflash FAQ
• Menopause Books
• Diet & weight loss Books
• Healthy Living Books
• Holistic & Natural Medicine
• Aromatherapy

Special Note: Estratab off the market
Estratab has been pulled off the market by the manufacturer Solvay. According to their web site they pulled it not because of a safety reason but because of a "business" reason. Lots of women have been asking me about this. My guess is that since they are in partnership with the makers of Cenestin they are promoting censtin along with their progesterone Prometrium, again made by Solvay. Since estratab is an estradiol, there are many substitutes such as Estrace.

Estratab is a form of estrogen that is made from plants (phytoestrogen), most specifically yams and soy. It is a new estrogen made in 1998. This type of estrogen is called esterified estrogen - this is a specific category of estrogens.

One of the reasons esterified estrogens are so exciting is because women can take a smaller dose than other established estrogen products. With this lowed dose you still can the same benefits of protect bones from osteoporosis, and helping to fight heart disease.

According to studies esterified estrogen prevents osteoporosis at half the dose of conjugated estrogen (like Premarin) and apparently has fewer side effects. Some researchers believe that you may not need to take a progestin or progesterone with this form of estrogen (since these are usually prescribed to fight against endometrial cancer) or may be able to take a lower dose. This looks promising to many women because the side effects many women report from HRT are caused by progestin. However more studies need to be done to prove or disprove this theory. Also, because of the lower dose than that of Premarin or micronized estradiol, esterified estrogen, doesn't seem to cause as great an increase in breast tenderness, headaches, or nausea as Premarin.

The only down side of esterified estrogen is that because it is new no long term studies have been conducted so it's unclear how effective it is in preventing osteoporosis, etc. over a long period of time.

HotFlash Symposium
Estratest: Testosterone for Women?
Can it make YOU feel better?
we asked  the experts,
Kathy Petras, Susan Rako & Ruth Jacobowitz
by Sue Spataro, RN, BSN
Estratest is a form of HRT or hormone replacement therapy that was approved by the FDA. It contains both estrogen and testosterone. Testosterone is produced by a woman's body but production can decrease over time.  Taking a product containing testosterone, like Estratest, can help some women boost their sex drive and can make them feel better, promote a sense of well being and decrease anxiety and depression. Find out more.

HotFlash Therapy Guide:
Estrace
Estrace, made by Mead Johnson, is another form of estrogen; it's considered a "natural" estrogen.  This means its active estrogen component estradiol, is "naturally occurring" and is the same as the estrogen our ovaries make before menopause.

Meet the Author
"Menopause Made Easy"
by Dr. Carolle Jean-Marat, MD
hosted by Sue Spataro
Interview & FREE Excerpt
Today's woman must educate herself about menopause and the risks and rewards of taking HRT, nutritional supplements, and homeopathic therapies. With humor, candor, and plain non-technical language, Dr. Jean-Murat discusses the current needs and concerns of midlife women, empowering us to make the right decisions. In our interview, she discusses Selecting over the counter products, Black Cohosh, and Racial Differences & Menopause and also features a FREE excerpt from her book, Stress and Depression. If you have any questions, you can ask them on our HotFlash support group.

more dieting books
more Healthy Living Books