Aging Gracefully
- After celebrating her 29th wedding anniversary with Harry Hamlin, soap actress Lisa Rinna, 62, and her husband impressed fans with a topless photoshoot.
- Rinna previously said hormone replacement therapy (HRT) helped her reclaim her sexuality, but doctors are mixed about HRT as it is also linked to certain cancers like breast, ovarian and endometrial cancer. However, it’s important to note that HRT is sometimes part of ovarian cancer treatment after a woman has removed her ovaries.
- Remember, it’s important to do your own research and weigh the benefits and risks with your medical team for HRT or any other form of treatment you are considering.
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a type of menopausal therapy used to treat symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, bone thinning, and vaginal dryness.
For the shoot, Rinna, known for her legendary role as Billie Reed on the soap opera “Days of Our Lives,” wore brown pants, sunglasses, and a blue-and-yellow tie, with her husband similarly dressed in brown pants and sunglasses.
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“These portraits continue Eli Russell Linnetz’s ongoing documentation of contemporary California icons and the ever-evolving identity of Los Angeles,” the caption concluded.
Fans praised them as their “favorite couple,” with one commenting, “They’re aging like the finest of wines.”
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Rinna and Hamlin’s photoshoot comes after the dynamic duo commemorated their 29th wedding anniversary on March 29, with a handful of throwback photographs on social media.
“29 years married to Harry Hamlin,” Rinna wrote on Instagram. “The love of my life, sexiest man alive, chef extraordinary, best husband and father… I love you more everyday.”
She added, “I think this might have been our first dance song… idk [i don’t know] 30 years is a long time. But it was definitely Whitney Houston! One of the best days of my life, followed by the birth of my girls.
So grateful for this beautiful family of ours.”
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Lisa Rinna’s Family History of Breast Cancer & Decision To Take Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) For Menopause
A few years back, when Rinna was featured in Cosmopolitan‘s Sex After 60 issue, the soap actress and former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star offered insight into sex, menopause, hormone therapy and her family’s history of breast cancer.
“I have not always been this in touch with my sexuality at all,” Rinna said. “I grew up very repressed, like everybody did in the ’60s. It just wasn’t something that nice girls did or talked about or flaunted, especially not in Medford, Oregon, where I was raised.”
“You’re just a good girl, and you don’t say how you feel; you just try to be quiet. You can see how well that went for me. I rebelled, certainly after a while.”
She also admitted that having children and experiencing postpartum depression (depression following childbirth) didn’t help, sharing she, “completely lost my mojo.”
Rinna, who shares two daughters with Hamlin, admitted she didn’t know why she was feeling the way she was until she received treatment and went on an antidepressant.
“And that changed everything, because it felt safe,” Rinna said. “It changed my whole perception and fear about sexuality and expressing yourself. I did it for a good two years, and I don’t think I ever looked back.”
Hormones for Menopause Symptoms
She explained further, “So I think it’s really interesting when you go through menopause. I know it’s a drag for people to talk about menopause, and it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s a dirty secret and we don’t want to talk about it.’ But the truth is, you change.
“You’re not about making a baby. So you’re not as crazy sexually driven — you just aren’t. I’m a big proponent of hormones, because I think without them, life is just f**king miserable.”
“They have been really helpful in my being able to stay feeling good about myself,” she added.
Rinna said both her mother and sister had breast cancer, and they think that her mom’s breast cancer had something do with taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT), so she said she was always scared to try it, but her doctor inspired her to try it, telling her it was safe.
“I didn’t take hormones in the beginning of menopause, and I was really suffering. Everything you can go through, I was going through it,” she said. “I couldn’t sleep, the hot flashes, everything, and I was anxious and angry and just a mess.”
Rinna said she went on bioidentical hormones, which are artificial hormones designed to match the body’s own hormones—estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone—at a molecular level.
“That was eight years ago, and I haven’t looked back. And listen, if I’m going to have a better life by taking them, I’m going to do it. If you took my hormones away, I would kill you, probably. I really think they’re helpful in so many ways.”
Understanding Hormone Replacement Therapy
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is prescribed to help women manage menopausal symptoms. However, it’s also known to increase your risk of certain cancers.
Women are diagnosed with menopause after they’ve gone one year, or 12 months, without a period, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Menopause is diagnosed when a woman is in her 40s or 50s. However, the average age of menopause in the United States is 51 years old.
Some women experience intense symptoms during menopause:
- Hot flashes
- Problems with sleeping
- Bone thinning
- Pain during sex
As a result, doctors may prescribe hormone replacement therapy, which controls the levels of estrogen and progesterone in a woman’s body.
HRT Related Cancer Risks
A 2019 analysis of 26 studies that include more than 4 million women found a correlation between HRT and ovarian cancer incidence for women in the United States and Europe.
The correlation was highest in two subtypes (epithelial-stromal and endometrioid ovarian tumors). However, the association couldn’t be reproduced in women in other parts of the world.
A 2017 study found that women on HRT had a 32% increased chance of developing serous borderline ovarian tumors. It’s also been determined that most types of HRT increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer.
It’s important to note that HRT is sometimes part of ovarian cancer treatment after a woman has removed her ovaries.
“There is actually some data that suggests improved survival with HRT given to ovarian cancer patients after diagnosis,” Dr. Rimel previously told SurvivorNet.
In 2012, a randomized control trial showed significantly improved survival in women with epithelial ovarian cancer who received HRT (estrogen) and standard cancer treatment.
However, routine hormone replacement therapy is also debated, as it minimizes the risk of osteoporosis, cardiovascular problems, and sexual dysfunction. Still, the evidence is considered “too limited” to support it being used routinely.
Coping With Body Image Through Health Changes
Appreciating your body and all that it has accomplished is a beautiful thing, but body positivity is easier said than done. And cancer survivors or women dealing with menopause may struggle more than others during or after their cancer journeys or body changes.
Celebrity Stylist Ann Caruso on Beauty and Femininity After Cancer
Take Ann Caruso, for example. She had 12 surgeries to treat her breast cancer and told SurvivorNet about how all of the changes really impacted the way she saw her body.
“You’re not the same carefree person that you once were, and it was very hard for me to look at myself every day,” Caruso said. “It was like I was a totally different person and didn’t fit into any of my clothes for so long.”
But time is a powerful healer. Looking back on her breast cancer experience has helped her redefine femininity and body image.
“Femininity is a state of mind,” Caruso said. “And I think that’s something that we have to remind ourselves.”
Another breast cancer survivor, Jaclyn Kaczynski, had a similar experience after her diagnosis at 37.
My Confidence Was Destroyed: Dealing With Body Image During Cancer Treatment
“My confidence was gone,” she told SurvivorNet. “My confidence was destroyed. I was always vain about my appearance and my weight, let alone losing a breast, or both.”
Some people find empowerment in going “flat” after losing their breasts to the disease, but Kaczynski found confidence in reconstruction. There’s no right or wrong answer for breast cancer survivors, but it’s important to consider all your options and go forward with whatever path is best for you.
“I just had my reconstructive surgery,” she said. “My favorite doctor was able to make it happen for me. It’s amazing how much more confidence I have within the past three weeks.”
When to Screen for Breast Cancer
The medical community has a broad consensus that women should have annual mammograms between the ages of 45 and 54. However, an independent panel of experts called the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is saying that women should now start getting mammograms every other year at the age of 40, suggesting that this lowered age for breast cancer screening could save 19% more lives.
The American Cancer Society recommends getting a mammogram every other year for women 55 and older. However, women in this age group who want added reassurance can still get annual mammograms.
Women with a strong family history of breast cancer, like Rinna, a genetic mutation known to increase the risk of breast cancer, such as a BRCA gene mutation, or a medical history, including chest radiation therapy before the age of 30, are considered at higher risk for breast cancer.
Experiencing menstruation at an early age (before 12) or having dense breasts can also put you into a high-risk category. If you are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer, you should begin screening earlier.
WATCH: The Importance of Listening to Your Body.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
