My Take On...

Why Isn’t This Front Page News?!!

 

Remember the WHI?  Women’s Health Initiative?

Think back to 2002. That spring menopausal women were blasted with messages of alarm. The WHI Study was terminated early. Its lead researcher stated Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) caused excess disease: stroke, heart attack, and breast cancer. The media picked up the message of fear and danger, and 66% of American women stopped any form of hormone therapy! A rare few women soldiered on despite the cautions, as their experiences without hormones were personally unacceptable. I have previous Current Commentaries on this site about it called Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) - Good News Bad News and Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS).

 

Fast forward to 2014 ... Here’s the rest of the story...

An international team of women’s health specialists from UK, Germany, Israel, South Africa, and Australia requested the WHI research data and re-analyzed its findings. Their published conclusions are stunning. “The increased risks of hormone therapy were not confirmed” (in academic speak this is a major slam). This team further stated the WHI findings actually suggest HRT may reduce risks for cardiovascular disease and breast cancer. Their summary: “The over interpretation and misrepresentation of the WHI findings have damaged the heath and well being of menopausal women by convincing them and their health professionals that the risks of HRT outweigh the benefits.” Other authors have been more succinct, “This trial was inappropriately analyzed and deprived an entire generation of women from receiving the potential benefits of HRT. We should remain vigilant to ensure this never happens again.”

 

 

1. S. Shapiro et al. Risks and Benefits of HRT. Medical dogma overturned. Climacteric 2014; 17: 215-222

 

2. R. Rebar. Menopausal Hormone Therapy. OBGYN Clinical Alert. 2016: 10 February.