>2 decades ago, the shocking results of a major women’s #health study challenged the safety of menopause #hormone medication, & overnight, millions of #women & their #doctors abandoned the drugs….
Now, a long-term follow-up of the #WomensHealth Initiative (WHI)…found that for many younger menopausal women—under 60—the benefits…outweigh the risks for short-term treatment of symptoms, incl’g hot flashes & night sweats.
The new analysis, published in JAMA, shows that younger #women starting #menopause & experiencing symptoms can take hormone treatments for several years w/a lower likelihood of adverse effects.
“Women in early menopause w/bothersome symptoms should not be afraid to take #HormoneTherapy to treat them, & clinicians should not be afraid to prescribe them,” said JoAnn Manson, chief of the division of preventive medicine at Brigham & Women’s Hospital & the paper’s 1st author.
A landmark study that scared women & doctors
The importance of the #WHI & its impact on #WomensHealth can’t be overstated. The study enrolled >160k postmenopausal #women between the ages of 50 & 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 #health risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, pulmonary embolism & breast cancer.
The results disrupted #medical care for millions of #women …, many of whom had been advised by doctors that the drugs not only relieved symptoms, but also offered long-term protection against heart attacks, which was widely believed…. The sudden about-face…meant that scores of baby boomer & GenX women were forced to navigate the vexing symptoms of #menopause —incl’g hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia & mood disturbances—w/o the benefit of highly effective #HormoneTreatments.
Later, it became clear that the design of the study, which included large numbers of older #women, may have skewed the results. The risks were seen largely among older women, long past #menopause, who would not normally need to use the drugs for symptoms. Younger women in the study seemed to fare better.
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