To take or not to take hormones, that is still the question

Helping postmenopausal women sort through the hormone dilemma with their physicians is the goal of the FDA's new public education campaign.

By Susan J. Landers, AMNews staff. Oct. 6, 2003.

Washington -- The Food and Drug Administration recently launched a campaign to help clear up lingering confusion about hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms.

At the request of Congress, the FDA and numerous medical groups developed a series of questions to guide discussions between women and their physicians.

Among the questions: Are hormones right for me? What are the benefits and risks? How long should I use hormone therapy?

Uncertainty over the use of HT is still commonplace more than a year after one arm of a large federal study was halted because increased risks of heart disease, stroke and breast cancer were attributed to the use of estrogen and estrogen with progestin, said FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan, MD, when the campaign was unveiled in early September.

Hormones should only be used when their benefits outweigh their risks. Recent research has now whittled down the list of benefits to be gained from taking hormones to their not inconsequential ability to relieve hot flashes and vaginal atrophy. But given the risks they pose, the FDA is sending the message: "Take the lowest dose for the least duration required to provide relief," said Dr. McClellan.

The information campaign is necessary because discussions between physicians and their women patients are still plagued by a certain amount of disconnect, said Susan Wysocki, president of the National Assn. Of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health.