Alternatives to Premarin for Hormone Replacement Therapy

People taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may want to check their medicine cabinet. If they find premarin in their, they may or may not be aware of how its made. Groups such as the Humane society and PETA both have sections of their websites dedicated to the needlessness of this drug. People concerned with human treatment of animals should know what options are available to them should they decide to switch.

One of the reasons gels such as Estradose and Estragel have caught on is because of concerns over how the most popular drug used for hormone replacement therapy, premarin is obtained from pregnant mares in a way many consider to be cruel and inhumane. Pregnant mares are tethered in stalls for several months with a rubber cup underneath her vulva to collect the urine. The horse will remain in the stable with the cup held in place by overhead support and unable to take more than a few steps, according to the Humane Society's web site. If the tether used to secure the animal in its stall is too short laying down comfortably may not even be possible. Horses that outlive their usefulness as estrogen producers may be euthanized.

Despite the cruelty of how farmers typically obtain premarin, it remains the most popular drug in the United States for hormone replacement therapy. For those with ethical concerns about using the product, several HRT options. Patches such as Estraderm are one option and gels such as Estradose are ways of applying it directly to the skin. Transdermal HRT has the added advantage that unlike pills the substance does not have to be filtered by the body's digestive system. For those who wish to make sure the product goes directly into their blood stream, you can buy estrogen injections which while more invasive typically only have to be taken twice a month.