[Becky]

I can't remember the new name either. Also, Premarin (estradiol only) is from pregnant mare urine (hence the name - Pre Mar In) so I guess that's an easy way to remember.

I do feel that removing the ovaries prior to natural menopause does reduce the risk of cancer. This is evident in many of the BRCA studies as well as studies that evaluate ooph versus Lupron/Zoladex shots. I think in perimenopause (just my thoughts here), that although natural estrogens are waning, they are also spiking. There is not the natural ebb and flow as when you are truly premenopausal and not perimenopausal. I think this is also a dangerous time for women. However, as Debbie stated about HRT, most women don't get breast cancer. What I think happens is that hormones cause excitation in all women but some women (those that do get dcis or breast cancer) have some pre-pre-pre cancerous conditions present. These conditions are also excited but grow to cancer versus normal cells that can "just handle it". Hyperplasia (pre dcis) may get pushed to dcis and then cancer. Research is showing that even ERneg/PR neg cancers probably start to grow due to estrogen excitation even though they don't need it to grow. This research stems from the work done on BRCA 1+ women who primarily get triple negative cancers. The newest studies show that oophorectomy prior to menopause reduces the incidence of breast cancer in these women by (I think) 68%. Very impressive if you think about it since BRCA 1+ women have a lifetime chance of getting bc of 80%+.

I think HRT and the erratic period of perimenopause can cause minor changes to become major ones in women who have minor things going on (perhaps those of us like AA, Joan, Debbie, me - all in that age bracket) is what happened and the minor changes happened earlier due to environmental exposures on a genetically prone person. Who knows? We may never know but I like these discussions as it brings more clarity on the environmental factors (such as HRT, hormones and additives in food, pesticides and the like). We are exposed earlier than our parents were who did not have all these environmental influences at younger ages (for example, my mom got bc 6 months after me at age 72 - and it was not that bad - 9mm tumor, highly ER/PR). Perhaps without environmental exposures when I was younger - I too may have gotten the same kind at the same age (basically inferring that I would have gotten it anyway but I truly would have preferred getting it that way).

I am sure more will respond and we will have a lively conversation here!