HRT is tied with an increased risk of cancer and heart disease. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may lower the risk of bone fractures in older women but is also associated with a considerable increased risk of cancer and heart disease. A large US trial called the Womens Health Initiative found that using estrogen-only or estrogen-plus-progestin female hormones during menopause caused more heart attacks and strokes than it prevented. The findings published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, also highlighted that menopausal women who use HRT are also more likely to have a breast cancer than their counterparts who use non-hormonal methods to reduce their menopausal symptoms. The new 15-year study which followed more than 160,000 women confirmed that taking female hormone pills may prevent osteoporosis and lower symptoms such as hot flashes in menopausal women. However, the article added that the therapy also raises womens odds of developing different problems such as gallbladder disease, urinary incontinence and dementia. We looked at all the published studies on hormone therapy for the prevention of chronic disease, said Dr. Heidi Nelson, who led the update. What is new here is, we've taken all the results from the last 10 years and tried to … Continue reading →

Editor's Choice Academic Journal Main Category: Menopause Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology Article Date: 28 May 2012 - 17:00 PDT Current ratings for: 'Hormone Therapy, The Pros And Cons - An Updated Report' 3 (2 votes) This review, written by researchers from Oregon Health & Science University, and Providence Cancer Center, and published in Annals of Internal Medicine, was conducted to help USPSTF (US Preventive Services Task Force) issue its new recommendations on hormone therapy. As background information, the researchers explained that menopausal hormone therapy to prevent chronic diseases is not recommended today, because of the high risk of serious adverse events. The researchers set out to update evidence regarding how effective hormone therapy is in reducing the risk of developing chronic conditions, as well as studying the impact and severity of adverse effects. They also wanted to see what the outcomes might be among females in different subgroups. They gathered and analyzed data from MEDLINE (Jan 2002 - Nov 2011), the Cochrane Central Register for Controlled Database of Systematic Reviews (up to September 2011), Scopus and some other reference lists. They also looked at randomized, placebo-controlled trials of HRT (hormone replacement therapy) that had been published in … Continue reading →

Women who are past menopause and healthy should not use hormone replacement therapy in hopes of warding off dementia, bone fractures or heart disease, says a new analysis by the government task force that weighs the risks and benefits of screening and other therapies aimed at preventing illness. The recommendation by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force does not necessarily apply to women who use hormone replacement therapy to reduce menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness. The balance of harm and benefits for that use is expected to be addressed soon in a report by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The latest recommendation, published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, comes from an organization accustomed to controversy. In recent months, the task force has recommended against routine breast cancer screenings for most women younger than 50. It has also urged abandonment of the prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, test that has become a standard part of older men's yearly physicals. Its latest recommendation could be a bit less controversial but is likely to have detractors among physicians who believe that the dangers of hormone replacement therapy for menopausal women have been overblown. … Continue reading →