Bone Loss & Female Hormone Replacement Therapy: Dr. Steven R. Goldstein

Dr. Steven R. Goldstein MD is considered one of the nation’s top doctors in Gynecology. He is the co-author of the book “The Estrogen Alternative’ and is a Certified Menopause Practitioner by the North American Menopause Society. He is also the Recipient of the Thomas A. Clarkson award for many outstanding contributions to menopause related clinical or basic science research. He has helped thousands of women alleviate the symptoms of menopause with female hormone replacement therapy.

As women age and the ovarian function ceases, estrogen production ceases and they enter menopause. Rapid bone loss due to the lack of estrogen is frequent during menopause and leads to osteoporotic fractures. Understand that bone is a dynamic organ. It is constantly being laid down and taken away until the day you die. Estrogen is a potent inhibitor of taking bone away. This is why when women at menopause stop making estrogen they lose bone rapidly.

Bone health is increasingly one of the most important issues for my patients. As longevity has increased dramatically over the last generation or two, so many women are living into their early 90s. Suffering a hip fracture will result in 25% of women never living independently again and 20 to 30% will be dead within one year. My patients should be as concerned about their bone health as any other aspect of their lives as they pursue “healthy aging.”

So what can a woman do during menopause to guard against the loss of estrogen that leads to bone loss? Dr. Goldstein prefers those approaches that combine the estrogen Premarin with a different category of drug than progesterone. That category is SERM (selective estrogen receptor modulator) used in female hormone replacement therapy. This synthetic estrogen is delivered via pills, patches or creams.

Dr. Goldstein is an expert on menopause and female hormone replacement therapy. He is a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, New York University School of Medicine and a Director of Gynecologic Ultrasound, NYU Langone Medical Center. To learn more about Dr. Goldstein or to make an appointment, visit his website at www.goldsteinmd.com.