Did HRT ever actually cause breast cancer? The Women's Health Initiative tested horse-derived estrogen (Premarin) plus a synthetic progestin, not the safer bioidentical hormones. That scary "26% more breast cancer" headline was a relative risk; in absolute terms it was about 8 extra cases per 10,000 women per year — under 1 in 1,000. The estrogen-alone arm of the same study actually showed roughly a 23% reduction in invasive breast cancer. "Bioidentical" means molecularly identical to the hormones your body makes — and Premarin isn't estradiol, just as a synthetic progestin isn't progesterone. The takeaway: don't rule yourself out of HRT over a study built on drugs most of us no longer prescribe — get an individualized assessment. Firefly Medical prescribes bioidentical estradiol and progesterone, never Premarin or synthetic progestins, with careful candidacy screening.

#bhrt #hormones #supplements #health #functionalmedicine

https://www.fireflymedical.net

https://www.balanceddose.com

@fireflymedical

https://www.fireflymedical.net

https://www.balanceddose.com

@fireflymedical

#bhrt #hormones #supplements #health #functionalmedicine #menopause #perimenopause #womenshealth

She's 41, her periods are still regular, and her doctor says she's too young for hormone issues. She isn't — and most of what she's been told about the transition is wrong.In this episode, Dr. Nickie Lovat (MD, PhD, Pharmacology and Therapeutics) and Nichole Jackson-Lind, NP, map the entire menopause transition — from perimenopause through postmenopause — and clear up the misconceptions women hear at every stage. You'll learn why estrogen runs high in perimenopause (not low), why progesterone is actually the first hormone to fall, why FSH testing is unreliable and the diagnosis should stay clinical, and why hot flashes can paradoxically worsen when estrogen is added too early. We cover where HRT actually fits at each stage — including why perimenopause is often a progesterone story, not an estrogen one — plus the lifestyle and non-hormonal options that genuinely help.Wherever you are in the transition, help exists. If your symptoms started before 45, or it's been 12 months without a period, this episode is for you. This Podcast is education, not medical advice.

https://www.fireflymedical.net
https://www.balanceddose.com
@fireflymedical

https://www.fireflymedical.net

https://www.balanceddose.com

@fireflymedical

Welcome to the very first episode. Hosts Dr Nickie Lovat, MD, PhD and Nichole Jackson-Lind, NP introduce themselves, the work behind Firefly Medical, and the Balanced Dose philosophy — then give you a simple, working model of how hormones actually run your body. If you've been dismissed, under-screened, or told that feeling exhausted, foggy, and not-yourself is "just aging you have to accept," this episode is your starting point. We break down what hormones are (your body's messengers), meet the major players — estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, thyroid, cortisol, and insulin — and explain why they work like an orchestra: one off-note affects the whole system. The lab guides the question, not the dose. We believe the patient over the number.

#bhrt #hormones #supplements #health #functionalmedicine

https://www.fireflymedical.net

https://www.balanceddose.com

@fireflymedical