HRT for Hot Flashes, Not Heart Disease

Not content to aggravate urologists and men concerned about prostate cancer, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has now made a recommendation that is likely to rile gynecologists and postmenopausal women. The panel of experts reviewed studies relating to the use of hormone replacement therapy to prevent osteoporosis, heart disease and dementia. It concluded that there is inadequate evidence to support HRT use for any of these conditions. In reaching this conclusion the Task Force reviewed data on over 160,000 women in the 15-year Women’s Health Initiative. Risks of hormone replacement therapy include gallbladder disease, blood clots that can be life threatening and a greater likelihood of urinary incontinence, stroke and dementia.
[Annals of Internal Medicine, May 28, 2012]