Still questions 10 years after study that questioned HRT

Date: Tuesday May. 29, 2012 8:46 AM ET

TORONTO A decade after a major study turned the usage of hormone replacement therapy on its ear, the risks and benefits of the once commonly used medication are still coming into focus.

A new analysis of the data to date suggests some previously seen benefits haven't passed the test of time, but some risks haven't either.

Still, the bottom line seems unchanged: for most women, there isn't a good medical reason for taking estrogen preparations after menopause to prevent development of chronic illnesses or bone fractures.

That doesn't mean the drugs don't have a role to play in treatment of the symptoms of menopause -- the debilitating hot flashes, night sweats, joint pain and insomnia some women suffer when they go through what's euphemistically called The Change.

But while expert panels in both Canada and the United States are currently reviewing their advice on HRT, it seems the standing recommendations -- take the drugs at the lowest effective dosage for the shortest time possible -- are unlikely to change.

"If we just look at the data, we don't see a lot of compelling benefit," Dr. Heidi Nelson, lead author of the review, said of the once-popular notion that post-menopausal women could use hormone therapy to stave off a number of age-related conditions including bone fractures, heart disease and cognitive decline.

The review, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, was done to help the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force to update its recommendations on post-menopausal use of hormone therapy. That body's updated guidance is expected to be released shortly.

The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada is in the process of updating its recommendations on HRT use, said Dr. Robert Reid, a former president of the organization.

The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care has not revisited its advice on HRT since 2003, shortly after a massive study of hormone use -- the Women's Health Initiative -- reported that rather than improving women's health, hormone therapy appeared to put them at greater risk of developing invasive breast cancer, strokes and heart disease.

Originally posted here:
Still questions 10 years after study that questioned HRT