Follow-up Study Confirms Risks of HRT Outweigh Benefits
In the March 5, 2008, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the results of a three-year follow-up study of the estrogen-plus-progestin clinical trial were published which confirm the health risks of long-term use of combination HRT therapy (estrogen plus progestin) in healthy, postmenopausal women persist even a few years after stopping the drugs and clearly outweigh the benefits. Researchers report that about three years after women stopped taking combination hormone therapy, many of the health effects of hormones such as increased risk of heart disease are diminished, but overall risks, including risks of stroke, blood clots, and cancer, remain high. The WHI is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
