Can I use Julva if I have had breast cancer?Updated 6 months ago

My number one intention for all women is to optimize their quality of life and to always do so safely, taking into consideration their unique medical history and current health status.

Women having had a history of breast cancer need to be particularly diligent about anything – even natural products – that they put in or on their bodies.

I always recommend that women discuss any new prescription, supplement, or over-the-counter product with their primary care doctor. In the case of women having a previous breast cancer diagnosis and/or treatment, I suggest women talk with their oncologists.

Julva is a topical anti-aging cream intended for the vulvar area containing pure, natural ingredients to improve vaginal dryness and reverse the symptoms of aging.

DHEA is the only ingredient in Julva that may concern women with breast cancer because it is a bio-identical hormone and women may fear using a ‘hormone’. DHEA is naturally secreted by the adrenal gland and ovary and is a very protective hormone with research indicating it is beneficial for brain health, bone health, and breast health.

Here I share with you some of the research which is very supportive of DHEA in regards to women having had breast cancer:

Local versus systemic effect: Research shows that “topical DHEA (even when applied vaginally) does not cause an increase in intrinsic estrogenic or androgenic activity, however, it is transformed intracellularly into androgens and estrogens only in the cells in the vulvar and vaginal layers physiologically in need of these sex steroids.” * What does this mean? It means that DHEA impacts local cells and tissue where it is applied and has not been found to circulate systemically throughout the blood.

DHEA may provide a protective role against cancer: According to a recent paper published in Cancer Biology & Therapy (September 2016)** "DHEA, an adrenal hormone, has a protective role against cancer.” The authors go on to state, “that DHEA inhibits the proliferation and migration of cell lines derived from breast cancer."

DHEA was determined to be “useful in the treatment of breast cancer” in yet another study published in Eur J Pharmacol, in 2011. In this study, researchers concluded that "DHEA also suppressed the migration of all breast cancer cell lines, independently of the presence of estrogen receptors and decreased the expression of the ECM-1 protein in Hs578T cells. These results suggest that the mechanism of DHEA actions against breast cancer involves the inhibition of cell proliferation and the suppression of migration, indicating that DHEA could be useful in the treatment of breast cancer."

Vaginally applied DHEA has been shown to treat vaginal dryness, pain, and other vaginal atrophy symptoms (including libido) especially in women having had breast cancer.

This study has not yet been published however I am including a link to the ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology) abstract presentation as well as an article on the study.

I also wanted to share a snippet of one terrific discussion that I had with Mike Riepl, a pharmacist and researcher, about this study. You can find our video discussion: Using Julva Cream if you've had breast cancer In earlier research (1999), women with uncontrolled PCOS and abdominal obesity may be associated with late promotion of breast cancer stimulated by prolonged intake of DHEA. Typically women with PCOS have elevated circulating levels of DHEA and additional oral DHEA would not be warranted.