Menopause Hormone Therapy Safe for Some, Risky for Others

According to a recent study by the Womens Health Initiative (WHI), 10,000 women in their 50s whod had hysterectomies and taken estrogen for six years had a decreased risk of heart attacks, colon cancer, breast cancer, and overall death than those whod taken placebos.

The study also showed, however, that women whod taken estrogen faced a slight increased risk of strokes, hip fractures and blood clots.

Additionally, once the women stopped taking estrogen, the risks and benefits reversed, but protection from breast cancer lasted another six years.

Previous findings from a WHI trial, however, showed that women who took estrogen along with another hormone drug actually raised their risk of getting breast cancer.

Most women who are prescribed a combination of hormone drugs have not had hysterectomies, because taking estrogen alone increases the risk of getting edometrial cancer by as much as 800 to 1,000 percent.

According to Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Womens Hospital, estrogen treatments are safe for younger women whove had hysterectomies and suffer from moderate to severe menopausal symptoms, but the treatment is still dangerous for older women who use it specifically to prevent chronic diseases such as breast cancer.

The risks of taking estrogen for women in their 60s and 70s far outweighs the benefits, according to findings in the study by WHI.