Women Do Not Require Hormone Therapy to Prevent Chronic Conditions

Hormone therapy like the use of estrogen and progestin is not required to prevent chronic conditions in postmenopausal women, reveals a new study.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends against the use of combined estrogen and progestin in postmenopausal women, or estrogen alone in postmenopausal women who have had a hysterectomy, to prevent chronic conditions such as heart disease, dementia and stroke.

‘Use of hormone therapy to prevent chronic conditions can lead to coronary heart disease, dementia, stroke, fractures and breast cancer.’

The USPSTF routinely makes recommendations about the effectiveness of preventive care services.

This latest recommendation statement on the use of hormone therapy in postmenopausal women is an update from 2012.

The topic is important to many women because the risk of chronic conditions increase with age; however, whether menopause increases this risk and whether hormone replacement decreases it is uncertain.

The USPSTF recommendation statement follows a review of evidence from clinical trials on the benefits and harms of hormone therapy taken orally or applied through the skin.



Source: Eurekalert