By Marlene Cimons, The Washington PostMore than two decades ago, the shocking results of a major women’s health study challenged the safety of menopause hormones, and overnight, millions of women and their doctors abandoned the drugs - a reluctance that lingers today.
The importance of the WHI and its impact on women’s health can’t be overstated. The study enrolled more than 160,000 postmenopausal women between the ages of 50 and 79. But in 2002, part of the study’s menopause hormone trial was abruptly stopped after monitoring data suggested that women in the hormone group had an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, pulmonary embolism and breast cancer.
For women “significantly impacted” by symptoms, especially in the workplace, hormone therapy “is the most effective treatment,” she added.The researchers found that hormone therapy didn’t increase mortality rates in any age group, when compared with women of similar age taking a placebo. Breast cancer risk increased with longer use of combination hormone drugs that include estrogen and progestin. “Putting the risk into perspective, it’s the equivalent of the excess risk of breast cancer associated with drinking one to two alcoholic beverages daily,” Manson said. “The absolute risk is low, and all choices involve trade-offs. It’s important for women to have the information they need to share in decision-making and also make choices about the duration of treatment.
The Women’s Health Initiative is funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. During the trials, the active and placebo pills were provided by Wyeth-Ayerst for the hormone study and by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare for the calcium and vitamin D supplement trial. Of the 19 authors on the current study, 18 had no financial disclosures to report. One researcher on the study, Rowan T.
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