Weighing the risks and the benefits is no easy task
There's always a risk involved when taking supplements, but doctors say that women who are struggling with menopause symptoms can safely use hormonal replacement therapy (known as HRT) for a limited time.
You drank soy milk until you couldn't stand another sip. You mixed black cohosh, red clover and every other herbal remedy into tea you could possibly think of. You wore sleeveless blouses when everyone else was shivering under layers. Yet you still couldn't cope with the relentless hot flashes and other unpleasant symptoms associated with menopause. That doesn't mean you have to sweat them out.
Doctors say that short-term use of hormonone replacement therapy continues to be a reasonable option for women whose lives are disrupted by menopause symptoms, provided they understand the risks associated with treatment.
The research
However, it's important to put those risks in perspective.
- For instance, the 26 percent increase in breast cancer sounds scary, but in the real world it means that an additional eight women will develop breast cancer each year for every 10,000 who use combination hormononal replacement therapy.
- The actual risk of ailments like heart attacks and strokes is similar. (Blood clots are a greater concern but they still pose a small absolute risk.)
Consider, too, that the alarming hormononal replacement therapy studies found no difference in the death rates between women who were using the drugs and those who were taking placebos.
- The news about hormononal replacement therapy isn't all bad, by the way.
- Studies show that it lowers the risk of osteoporosis and colon cancer.
- Doctors generally prescribe the lowest dose that works and advise women to use the medication for no more than a year or two.
- If a woman's prime complaint is vaginal dryness, however, vaginal creams and rings may be preferable to oral hormononal replacement therapy, since they provide smaller doses of estrogen than pills.
While the research is valuable information to have, such decisions are highly personal and so dependent upon individual needs, it is always best to check with your doctor before beginning or altering any treatment.
