Studies are still somewhat inconclusive, but the theory is that Mother Nature knows what she’s doing, after all. HCG is the pregnancy hormone with benefits that seem to extend far beyond pregnancy. HCG treatment is already used for infertility, weight loss, the detection of certain types of tumors, and to counteract possible symptoms of pituitary gland disorders in prepubescent males. It seems probable that it might soon be used to guard against breast cancer, too.
Scientists already knew that one of the best protective measures against breast cancer was a full-term pregnancy at a young age, but only recently have they started to figure out exactly why. They’re fairly confident it has to do with HCG, the hormone produced in the placenta in the early stages of pregnancy.
Conclusive studies on humans haven’t yet been completed, but from the tests run on rats, it appears that rats exposed to HCG for a 21-day period (rat pregnancies typically last 21 days) and then exposed to a proven breast cancer carcinogen are far less likely to develop breast cancer.
It seems that HCG produces changes in breast tissue that lead to lasting protection against cancer. Clinical trials in human females are currently being conducted. This is wonderful news for public health—if HCG is the source of the protection, it’s only a matter of time before scientists will be able to replicate its natural protection for those at risk for breast cancer who don’t necessarily want to get pregnant just in order to prevent the disease—or who aren’t able to.
Of course, if women aren’t currently able to get pregnant for reasons that could be corrected, HCG could help with that, too. Who knew that one of the most natural of natural processes—pregnancy—could produce such beneficial effects? It makes you wonder a little why we’ve spent so much time as a species trying to figure out unnatural ways to improve our lives, when it seems likely that we had what we needed all along.
Tags: HCG treatment
