Update:  The new study on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) that followed 100,000 women for 40 years has concluded that the use of a combined progestogen (synthetic progesterone) and estrogen pill—such as Prempro–could triple a woman’s risk of breast cancer. PETA’s blog has more details on the study’s shocking findings.

This is Whisper.

Isn’t she beautiful? But her past is as ugly as she is lovely. She was rescued several years ago from a farm that contracted with the maker of the menopause drug Premarin to harvest her urine. Yes, you heard that right. Premarin is made from horse urine—it’s right there in the name (Pregnant mares’ urine). The horses are kept almost constantly pregnant because that increases the amount of estrogen in their urine. Whisper is a Belgian draft horse, the preferred breed on such farms because they’re large and produce a lot of urine and also because they’re docile and easy to handle.

The abuse inflicted on horses on such farms will make you hotter under the collar than a hot flash in August. In order to make it easier for farmers to collect their urine, horses are confined for months at a time to stalls so small that the horses cannot take more than a step or two in any direction. The urine-collection bags that mares must wear at all times chafe their legs and prevent them from lying down comfortably. Mares are often denied adequate water so that their urine will yield more concentrated estrogen.

The foals, who are considered unwanted byproducts of the industry, are either put on the production line or sold, along with worn-out mares, at auction, where they usually are bought by “kill buyers” for slaughterhouses.

Whisper got lucky. When the farm she was on closed down—something that is happening more and more as women learn about both the cruelty of Premarin as well as the health risks associated with its use and stop taking it—Whisper was rescued and rehabilitated by an older couple. She was pregnant at the time and gave birth to a foal shortly after her rescue, but despite the couple’s best efforts, the baby died of pneumonia just a few days after birth. Whisper’s rescuers kept her on their farm as long as they were able to care for her, but when they realized that the time had come to downsize, they placed her with a former PETA Foundation staffer. She says that, despite Whisper’s enormous size and previous abuse, she is the gentlest and friendliest of her horses—she even likes tummy rubs! “She’s a sweetheart of a horse, even though she had a very rough start,” she says.

The use of Premarin and Prempro (Premarin combined with progestin) pills decreased after a major study, the Women’s Health Initiative, showed that these drugs were linked to serious health problems, including heart disease, strokes, and breast cancer. But Premarin cream sales remain steady –even though it has the same health risks associated with the pills. And now drug giant Pfizer is again heavily promoting both Premarin and Premarin cream.

Do yourself and horses a favor: Instead of taking any Premarin product, ask your doctor about humane options such as plant-based estrogen products and other strategies for managing menopause symptoms. Tell your doctor that Whisper sent you.