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Hormone therapy for menopause: Should you take it and what are the benefits and risks?
Until mid 2002, hormone therapy had been the standard of care in the United States for treating menopausal complaints. Hormone therapy relieved such discomforts as hot flashes and vaginal dryness and also seemed to protect against several aging conditions, such as osteoporosis and heart disease. In July 2002, the Women's Health Initiative, a large, multitiered clinical trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health — reported that hormone therapy actually posed more health risks than benefits for most women. Concerns about hormone therapy stem from the results of the combined estrogen-progestin (Prempro®) and the estrogen-alone arms (Premarin®) Health Initiative (WHI) clinical trial.
As the number of health hazards attributed to hormone therapy grew, doctors discontinued routine prescriptions for this popular treatment. However, experts agree that in many cases, hormone therapy may still be your best option for treating menopausal symptoms.
These studies involved horse serum or synthetic hormones and not bio-identical hormones. The benefits of therapy include releif of menopausal symptoms including hot flashes, vaginal discomfort, and osteoporosis. The risks of bio-identical hormones may substantially or completely eliminate the risks of synthetic and animal derived mass marketed hormones. |
