# Estrogen Matters: Fighting Decades of Fear with Dr. Avrum Bluming

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/gyno-girl-presents-sex-drugs-hormones-6732899/estrogen-matters-fighting-decades-of-fear-with-dr-avrum-bluming.md
Podcast: [Gyno Girl Presents: Sex, Drugs & Hormones](https://stenobird.com/podcast/gyno-girl-presents-sex-drugs-hormones-6732899)
Published: 2026-01-16T09:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.cgcchicago.com/demo-podcast-page/estrogen-matters-fighting-decades-of-fear-with-dr-avrum-bluming
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/96a6b042-e819-4017-8766-134f557c82f3.mp3
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Duration seconds: 3558

## Resource

The FDA told him no in 1992. They said giving estrogen to breast cancer survivors would put women at "unacceptable risk." He did the study anyway. Dr. Avrum Bluming is a medical oncologist, emeritus clinical professor of medicine at USC, former senior investigator for the National Cancer Institute, and co-author of Estrogen Matters . He's been fighting estrogen fear for over 30 years long before it was safe or popular to do so. His origin story starts with his wife. At 45, she developed breast cancer. The chemotherapy he gave her threw her into premature menopause. She couldn't sleep. She had hot flashes, night sweats, painful urination, palpitations. She couldn't remember what she'd read two pages back. And he an oncologist who had induced menopause in countless breast cancer patients—had been sympathetic but didn't know how to help them until he saw what was happening with his wife. So he started a study in 1992 to give estrogen to breast cancer survivors. The FDA denied him twice. He did it anyway. By 1997, he presented his data to 8,500 oncologists from around the world. The National Cancer Institute said it was "irresponsible" to study this. The audience challenged them. Dr. Bluming's data showed no increased risk of recurrence. We talk about the Women's Health Initiative, how the media misinterpreted the data, why the estrogen alone actually decreased breast cancer by 23% and breast cancer death by 40%, and why the box warning that just came off in November 2025 never should have been there in the first place. There are now 26 studies in the English literature on giving estrogen to breast cancer survivors. Only one showed increased risk. Four showed decreased risk. Twenty-five showed no difference. Highlights: The FDA denial story: "Don't shoot me, I'm just the m…

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