AUDIOBOOK
Estrogen Matters
Why Taking Hormones in Menopause Can Improve and Lengthen Women's Lives -- Without Raising the Risk
Avrum Bluming5
(4)
About
REVISED and UPDATED Edition, 2024: A compelling, "fascinating" (Robert Cialdini) defense of hormone replacement therapy, exposing the faulty science behind its fall from prominence and giving women the evidence they need to make informed decisions about their health.
"Estrogen Matters was my antidote to the misinformation surrounding menopause. This book should be the bible for every single person going through menopause."―Naomi Watts
For years, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was the medically approved way to alleviate menopausal symptoms (ranging from hot flushes to brain fog) and reduce the risk of heart disease, Alzheimer's, and osteoporosis. But when a large study by the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) announced, with national fanfare, that women taking HRT had an increased risk of breast cancer, women were scared off, and the treatment was abandoned.
Now, Dr. Bluming, a medical oncologist, and Dr. Tavris, a social psychologist, reveal the true story of the WHI's efforts to distort their data to exaggerate unsupported claims of estrogen's harms. Important updates in this edition include:
• Evidence that demolishes the WHI's claim that HRT causes breast cancer.
• A list of the WHI's retractions of their original scare stories.
• Updated findings on estrogen's benefits on heart, brain, bones, and longevity.
• A critical review of the alternative products and medications being marketed to treat symptoms of menopause.
A sobering and revelatory read, Estrogen Matters sets the record straight on estrogen's benefits, providing a light to guide women through this inevitable phase of life. Avrum Bluming, MD, is a hematologist and medical oncologist, and a Master of the American College of Physicians, an award bestowed on fewer than 500 of the 100,000 board-certified internists in the United States. He is Emeritus Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Southern California and a former senior investigator for the National Cancer Institute.
Carol Tavris, PhD, is a social psychologist who has written widely about psychological science. Her trade books include Anger; The Mismeasure of Woman; and, with Elliot Aronson, Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me). She has won numerous awards for her science writing and contributions to skepticism and gender equity. "Estrogen Matters unravels the intricate web of science, medicine, and gender politics surrounding estrogen therapy. In their unflinching exploration, with meticulous research and a fearless examination of medical dogma, Drs. Bluming and Tavris illuminate the complex terrain of estrogen's effects on women's health. The result is an excellent resource for women."-Peter Attia, MD, author of Outlive "Estrogen Matters was my antidote to the misinformation surrounding menopause. This book should be the bible for every single person going through menopause and every single doctor out there."-Naomi Watts "How could one flawed scientific conclusion become a persuasive juggernaut that changed the practice of women's health worldwide? In their fascinating account, Bluming and Tavris challenge that conclusion and unpack the reasons for its remarkable impact."-Robert B. Cialdini, author of Influence "Given breast cancer's substantial morbidity, mortality, emotional toll and the vast consequences of its treatment, the frontal salvo on the conventional wisdom of estrogen use by Avrum Bluming and Carol Tavris is refreshing and welcome. The book will stir a lively debate about the merits of decades of existing clinical research on estrogens and help reframe the way clinicians and patients view the tradeoff between the benefits and risks of hormone therapy."-Jerome P. Kassirer, MD, Distinguished Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine; Editor-in-Chief, New England Journal of Medicine "This is such an important book, I want to do all I can to encourage every woman to read it. Groundbreaking an
"Estrogen Matters was my antidote to the misinformation surrounding menopause. This book should be the bible for every single person going through menopause."―Naomi Watts
For years, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was the medically approved way to alleviate menopausal symptoms (ranging from hot flushes to brain fog) and reduce the risk of heart disease, Alzheimer's, and osteoporosis. But when a large study by the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) announced, with national fanfare, that women taking HRT had an increased risk of breast cancer, women were scared off, and the treatment was abandoned.
Now, Dr. Bluming, a medical oncologist, and Dr. Tavris, a social psychologist, reveal the true story of the WHI's efforts to distort their data to exaggerate unsupported claims of estrogen's harms. Important updates in this edition include:
• Evidence that demolishes the WHI's claim that HRT causes breast cancer.
• A list of the WHI's retractions of their original scare stories.
• Updated findings on estrogen's benefits on heart, brain, bones, and longevity.
• A critical review of the alternative products and medications being marketed to treat symptoms of menopause.
A sobering and revelatory read, Estrogen Matters sets the record straight on estrogen's benefits, providing a light to guide women through this inevitable phase of life. Avrum Bluming, MD, is a hematologist and medical oncologist, and a Master of the American College of Physicians, an award bestowed on fewer than 500 of the 100,000 board-certified internists in the United States. He is Emeritus Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Southern California and a former senior investigator for the National Cancer Institute.
Carol Tavris, PhD, is a social psychologist who has written widely about psychological science. Her trade books include Anger; The Mismeasure of Woman; and, with Elliot Aronson, Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me). She has won numerous awards for her science writing and contributions to skepticism and gender equity. "Estrogen Matters unravels the intricate web of science, medicine, and gender politics surrounding estrogen therapy. In their unflinching exploration, with meticulous research and a fearless examination of medical dogma, Drs. Bluming and Tavris illuminate the complex terrain of estrogen's effects on women's health. The result is an excellent resource for women."-Peter Attia, MD, author of Outlive "Estrogen Matters was my antidote to the misinformation surrounding menopause. This book should be the bible for every single person going through menopause and every single doctor out there."-Naomi Watts "How could one flawed scientific conclusion become a persuasive juggernaut that changed the practice of women's health worldwide? In their fascinating account, Bluming and Tavris challenge that conclusion and unpack the reasons for its remarkable impact."-Robert B. Cialdini, author of Influence "Given breast cancer's substantial morbidity, mortality, emotional toll and the vast consequences of its treatment, the frontal salvo on the conventional wisdom of estrogen use by Avrum Bluming and Carol Tavris is refreshing and welcome. The book will stir a lively debate about the merits of decades of existing clinical research on estrogens and help reframe the way clinicians and patients view the tradeoff between the benefits and risks of hormone therapy."-Jerome P. Kassirer, MD, Distinguished Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine; Editor-in-Chief, New England Journal of Medicine "This is such an important book, I want to do all I can to encourage every woman to read it. Groundbreaking an