A must-read for anyone considering going on synthetic estrogen, author Barbara Seaman has pulled together evidence-based accounts about the use and misuse of Premarin.
In 1959, Barbara Seaman’s aunt died from endometrial cancer linked to her menopause medication, Premarin, a type of synthetic estrogen made from the urine of pregnant mares. After the funeral, the young journalist opened a case file on the drug and its ties to cancer; this book is the product of nearly 50 years of investigation on the subject. Now in paperback, The Greatest Experiment exposes the full story behind synthetic estrogen’s development and proliferation as a “wonder drug” for women. Having witnessed its effects on first-generation users in the late ’50s and ’60s, Seaman has a unique perspective that enriches an already well-researched book with evidence-based accounts of her family’s, friends’, and colleagues’ personal and professional experiences with estrogen. Although she reports on some startling findings about the drug’s adverse effects and the unethical ways in which pharmaceutical companies (and some doctors) have deliberately kept the public in the dark about them, her goal is not to vilify the drug; it is to tell the whole tale, so that we are able to make an informed decision about what we put in our bodies. And because many of us have at some point taken an estrogen pill or know someone who has, this book is essential reading for everyone. Written as if she’s spilling some juicy gossip over lunch, Seaman sparks an important conversation about seeking out the truth from government regulators, pharmaceutical companies, and our doctors. Spread the word!
