Hormone pills used by post menopausal women, have been linked to a number of health problems, and to their list is added one more – kidney stones.
A recent study conducted in respect of twenty four thousand women, found that women who were using hormone pills were 21% more likely to develop kidney stones in the space of 5 years, than those women who were not taking the hormone pills.
The pills that are seen to increase this risk of developing kidney stones are Prempro, the estrogen + progestin pills as well as Premarin, which are estrogen hormone only pills.
Lead author of the study, Dr. Naim Maalouf, urges women to “Look at the bigger picture” if they are contemplating taking these drugs for easing menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, etc.
Though these artificial hormone pills can help to ease menopause symptoms, they are also known to be connected to increased risk of breast cancer, heart attacks, strokes and now kidney stones as well.
The government recommendation as regards hormone pills is that if they are required to be taken they must be taken in the lowest dose for the shortest possible duration. Naturally occurring estrogen is known to actually reduce kidney stone risk, however the same is not true for hormone pills.
