WHY DOCTORS LASHED OUT AT CANCER SOCIETY OVER HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY

January 18, 2004

By RFD Columnist, Lise Cloutier-Steele

It was predictable that the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada

(SOGC) would lash out at the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) for reaffirming that

hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can lead to more harm than good. It's clear to

me why the SOGC is up in arms over the CCS's warnings, given that their web site

and publications heavily promote Wyeth-Ayerst, the makers of a major HRT drug.

In one SOGC journal, the society boasted about the generous sponsorship it had

received from Wyeth for a special education opportunity. Gynecologists were

advised that if they answered six questions on hysterectomy, they could obtain a

certificate, compliments of Wyeth, to show that they were better equipped to

discuss hysterectomy and ovary

removal with their patients. Oh, and here's the kicker - the pro-hysterectomy

answers to the questions were all listed at the back of the journal.

By providing funds to the SOGC, Wyeth-Ayerst is in fact encouraging

gynecologists to continue with their practice of removing healthy ovaries from

women - an ongoing and deplorable situation in this country. This cosy

relationship also indicates to me that the SOGC is far more committed to

financial gain for its members than it is to the health and well-being of women.

Those women who surrender their ovaries, whether knowingly or

unknowingly, become dependant, and in many cases, lifetime consumers of HRT. The

recommended short-term use is not an option for these women if they are to

regain any quality of life following ovary removal, and yet this very large

segment of Canada's female population is almost always left out of the

discussion. Where can these women go for help? The CCS didn't say, and it seems

that the SOGC is only interested in maintaining the status quo.

Lise Cloutier-Steele is the author of Misinformed Consent - Women's Stories

About Unnecessary Hysterectomy.

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