SEARCH
YELLOW PAGES
WHITE PAGES
UVM HOME
Like many post-menopausal women, Sharon Newton St. Onge ‘64, a retired public health nurse in Bow, New Hampshire, took hormone replacements to counteract the body’s natural depletion of estrogen and its serious side effects — leaching of calcium from bone (osteoporosis) and heart disease. Estrogen replacement also helps with menopausal hot flashes and insomnia. Sharon had been on hormone replacement therapy for four years and was 55 in January of 1998 when a routine mammogram revealed suspicious calcifications. Although a biopsy proved negative, her doctor performed a second biopsy that confirmed the suspicions. Sharon had ductal carcinoma in situ and, for her, mastectomy was the best option. Her lymph nodes were clear, and no further treatment was prescribed.

Because of Sharon’s experience, her two eldest daughters began having regular mammograms.

Experiences of Alumnae