University of Alabama Birmingham Study Suggests Limits to Hormone Therapy for Menopausal Women

Researchers at the Women’s Health Institute at the University of Alabama Birmingham recommend that hormonal therapy for menopausal women should only be used for a short period of time. Researchers studied more than 27,300 women ages 50 to 79 beginning in 1993. Two trials of hormone therapy were stopped due to a greater number of women experiencing heart attacks, breast cancer, strokes, dementia, and other health problems compared to women who were given placebos.

Cora E. Lewis professor in the Division of Internal Medicine at the university and the principal investigator for the Women’s Health Initiative project, states, “Menopausal hormone therapy continues in clinical use, but questions remain regarding its risks and benefits for chronic disease prevention. Our data, which is a comprehensive, integrated overview of findings from the two WHI hormone therapy trials with extended post-intervention follow-up, continues to suggest that long-term hormone therapy is not the appropriate treatment. Small doses, used for a finite window, should be the appropriate practice for treatment of menopausal symptoms.”

Dr. Lewis is a graduate of the University of Miami and the Indiana University School of Medicine. She also earned a master of public health degree at the University of Alabama Birmingham.