Premarin
PREgnant MARes' urINe
Premarin is the commercial name for a compound cream of vaginally administered estrogens, consisting primarily of conjugated estrogens. Isolated from mares' urine (PREgnant MARes' urINe), it is manufactured by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals (part of Pfizer since January 2009) and has been marketed since 1942.
|
|
Premarin is the most widely prescribed drug in the United States. It is also used by many women in Israel, where it is sold under the name Premaril. The active ingredient, pregnant mare's urine, is collected on farms in the United States and Canada under extremely inhumane circumstances from tens of thousands of horses. These docile animals spend most of their lives tethered until their health fails and they are slaughtered, as are most of their foals. More modern, non-animal based substitutes for the treatment of menopause and osteoporosis are widely available.
Many gynecologists prescribe Premarin for women going through menopause; however, there are much healthier, more humane alternatives. This drug is derived from very cruel treatment of horses.
Where Does Premarin Come From?
Premarin is derived from pregnant mare's urine, obtained by impregnating a mare, fitting her with a rubber collection cup joined to a hose, and forcing her to stand for over 5 months on a concrete floor in stalls so small she cannot take more than one step, turn around, or lie down properly. After her foal is born, she is allowed out to pasture with the foal for only up to five months after which time she is reimpregnated, separated from her baby, and returned to the estrogen production line. Some mares are reimpregnated again already after a few weeks. Sometimes, to increase profits, the mare's urine is concentrated by water restriction, potentially leading to disease in the animals which could be transmitted to humans. There is also some evidence that the equine estrogen contained in Premarin may cause cancer.
For most of their 11-month pregnancies, the mares used in Premarin production are confined to small stalls, leaving them no room to move freely or to lie down.Pregnant mares are left standing for months on end with little or no exercise where they are hooked up to cumbersome rubber urine-collection bags that rub and chafe their legs often causing open, pus-oozing sores that are left untreated.
Guidelines state that horses should be offered water no less than two times per day. However, PMU farmers prefer to water as little as possible to keep the concentration of estrogen in the urine high as they are paid based on the concentration not the volume of urine collected. This can lead to renal and liver problems and causes the mares to struggle and injure themselves during water-distribution times when they try to get to the water they so desperately crave.
Many gynecologists prescribe Premarin for women going through menopause; however, there are much healthier, more humane alternatives. This drug is derived from very cruel treatment of horses.
Where Does Premarin Come From?
Premarin is derived from pregnant mare's urine, obtained by impregnating a mare, fitting her with a rubber collection cup joined to a hose, and forcing her to stand for over 5 months on a concrete floor in stalls so small she cannot take more than one step, turn around, or lie down properly. After her foal is born, she is allowed out to pasture with the foal for only up to five months after which time she is reimpregnated, separated from her baby, and returned to the estrogen production line. Some mares are reimpregnated again already after a few weeks. Sometimes, to increase profits, the mare's urine is concentrated by water restriction, potentially leading to disease in the animals which could be transmitted to humans. There is also some evidence that the equine estrogen contained in Premarin may cause cancer.
For most of their 11-month pregnancies, the mares used in Premarin production are confined to small stalls, leaving them no room to move freely or to lie down.Pregnant mares are left standing for months on end with little or no exercise where they are hooked up to cumbersome rubber urine-collection bags that rub and chafe their legs often causing open, pus-oozing sores that are left untreated.
Guidelines state that horses should be offered water no less than two times per day. However, PMU farmers prefer to water as little as possible to keep the concentration of estrogen in the urine high as they are paid based on the concentration not the volume of urine collected. This can lead to renal and liver problems and causes the mares to struggle and injure themselves during water-distribution times when they try to get to the water they so desperately crave.
Premarin, the most popular variety of hormone replacement therapy, was approved as a menopause treatment by the FDA on May 8, 1942. From 1991 to 1999, it was the best selling drug in the United States.
The estrogen from a horse does not match the ratio of substances found naturally in the human body. Estrone for instance, one of the components of estrogen, is far higher in horses than it is for humans.
In 2002, researchers who were working on the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) - a series of government studies of more than 160,000 healthy postmenopausal women - abruptly halted a trial involving 16,000 women who were taking Premarin when it was found that HRT raises the risk of stroke in women by 41 percent, the risk of heart attack by 29 percent, blood clots by100% and the risk of breast cancer by 26 percent.
Some of the other side effects of Premarin® include edema, bloating, fluid retention, hairiness and increased migraines, asthma, and diabetes.
What Are the Alternatives to Premarin?
There are several equally effective drugs derived from plants like soybeans and Mexican yams, including:
- Activella
- Cenestin
- Estrace
- Ogen
- Ortho-Est
Foods containing estrogen-like substances include:
- Soybean Products (soy milk; soy burgers and hot dogs; tofu; tempeh; soy nuts and beans; soy flour; miso)
- Split Peas
- Whole Wheat
- Rye
- Oats
- Barley
- Chickpeas
- Sesame Seeds
- Pomegranates
- Apples
- Spinach
- Flaxseeds
- Lima Beans
- Alfalfa Sprouts
One combination would include flaxseed cereal and soy milk (1 bowl) for breakfast and 4 oz. tofu at another meal.
Some supplements that can stimulate estrogen production by the ovaries include:
- Flaxseed Oil
- Licorice Root
- Unicorn Root
- False Unicorn Root
- Black Cohosh
- Fennel
- Evening Primrose Oil
- Vitamin E (400 U)
- Dong Quai
A recent study in the American Journal of Epidemiology from the Cancer Research Center in Hawaii showed that women whose diets are rich in soy foods are less than half as likely to develop uterine cancer. Ask your gynecologist about raloxifene, a new drug that is not an estrogen but acts on estrogen receptors to increase bone density without increasing cancer risk (New England Journal of Medicine 337:1641, 1997).
