Doctors & patients are saying about 'A-Fib.com'...


"A-Fib.com is a great web site for patients, that is unequaled by anything else out there."

Dr. Douglas L. Packer, MD, FHRS, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

"Jill and I put you and your work in our prayers every night. What you do to help people through this [A-Fib] process is really incredible."

Jill and Steve Douglas, East Troy, WI 

“I really appreciate all the information on your website as it allows me to be a better informed patient and to know what questions to ask my EP. 

Faye Spencer, Boise, ID, April 2017

“I think your site has helped a lot of patients.”

Dr. Hugh G. Calkins, MD  Johns Hopkins,
Baltimore, MD


Doctors & patients are saying about 'Beat Your A-Fib'...


"If I had [your book] 10 years ago, it would have saved me 8 years of hell.”

Roy Salmon, Patient, A-Fib Free,
Adelaide, Australia

"This book is incredibly complete and easy-to-understand for anybody. I certainly recommend it for patients who want to know more about atrial fibrillation than what they will learn from doctors...."

Pierre Jaïs, M.D. Professor of Cardiology, Haut-Lévêque Hospital, Bordeaux, France

"Dear Steve, I saw a patient this morning with your book [in hand] and highlights throughout. She loves it and finds it very useful to help her in dealing with atrial fibrillation."

Dr. Wilber Su,
Cavanaugh Heart Center, 
Phoenix, AZ

"...masterful. You managed to combine an encyclopedic compilation of information with the simplicity of presentation that enhances the delivery of the information to the reader. This is not an easy thing to do, but you have been very, very successful at it."

Ira David Levin, heart patient, 
Rome, Italy

"Within the pages of Beat Your A-Fib, Dr. Steve Ryan, PhD, provides a comprehensive guide for persons seeking to find a cure for their Atrial Fibrillation."

Walter Kerwin, MD, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA


 FAQs A-Fib Drug Therapy: HRT

Drug Therapies for Atrial Fibrillation, A-Fib, Afib

Do you have information about Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and if it might help or hinder my atrial fibrillation?”

Intuitively one would expect that, if properly administered, HRT would have good effects like decreasing menopause symptoms, improving bone density, improving cardiovascular health, etc. HRT might reduce the risk of A-Fib by improving a woman’s overall health. But research on this topic isn’t all that clear. I found two contradictory studies.

Danish Study 2012: I found one Danish observational research study that HRT was associated with a decreased risk on new-onset A-Fib in women who had had a heart attack. They looked at 32,925 women and followed them for a year after discharge from the hospital after a heart attack. New onset A-Fib was diagnosed in 1,381 women (4.2%). But A-Fib rates decreased significantly if the women were on HRT (37.4 incidence rate vs. 53.7 for no HRT use).

Womens Health Initiative Study: Another observational study found a “modest” link of HRT to Atrial Fibrillation. These results were somewhat unusual in that women [with a hysterectomy] taking estrogen alone had a higher rate of A-Fib. But women with an intact uterus taking estrogen plus medroxyprogesterone didn’t have a significantly higher rate of A-Fib.

The lead author, Dr. Marco V. Perez, described how anecdotally women say that at certain times-during a period, pregnancy, or menopause-their arrhythmias can flare up. Hormones may play a role in A-Fib in women. Dr. Perez said he would now add A-Fib to the list of risks associated with taking HRT.

Takeaway: These two studies obviously contradict each other. But the results in the Dr. Perez WHI research were so “modest” and even contradictory that, when making decisions about HRT, we should probably favor the Danish study. However, much more research needs to be done in this area. If properly administered HRT improves your overall health, that might decrease your risk of developing A-Fib.

(I am way out of my comfort zone discussing womens’ health and HRT and would welcome comments from women or from anyone with insights about this topic.)

References for this article
Bretler, DM et al. Hormone replacement therapy and risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation after myocardial infarction-a nationwide cohort study. PloS One. 2012;7(12):e51580. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3524193/ doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0051580

Nainggolan, Lisa. New WHI Analysis Links HRT to Atrial Fibrillation. Medscape Multispecialty, November 26, 2012. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/775048

Perez, MV et al. Effects of Postmenopausal Hormone Therapy on Incident Atrial Fibrillation. Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol. 2102;5:1108-1116. http://circep.ahajournals.org/content/5/6/1108.full.pdf

Thanks to Mary LaPorte for this question.

Return to: FAQ Minerals & Supplements
Last updated: Monday, June 18, 2018

Related Posts

Follow Us
facebook - A-Fib.comtwitter - A-Fib.comlinkedin - A-Fib.compinterest - A-Fib.comYouTube: A-Fib Can be Cured! - A-Fib.com

We Need You Help A-Fib.com be self-supporting-Use our link to Amazon  

A-Fib.com is a
501(c)(3) Nonprofit



Your support is needed. Every donation helps, even just $1.00.



A-Fib.com top rated by Healthline.com since 2014 

Home | The A-Fib Coach | Help Support A-Fib.com | A-Fib News Archive | Tell Us What You think | Press Room | GuideStar Seal | HON certification | Disclosures | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy