Hormone replacement therapy

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Uterus

The WHI study did not find any difference in endometrial cancer rates between the women who took hormones and those who did not. Depending on the form of HRT, taking progestin may cause bleeding similar to a period. This combination of estrogen and progesterone may be in the form of one pill, or it may be two separate pills.

OVARIAN CANCER

In another study, published by the National Cancer Institute in 2002, women who use estrogen therapy alone have an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer. This risk increases with the number of years a woman uses estrogen.

For women who used estrogen for 20 or more years, the risk of ovarian cancer was three times that of women who did not use estrogen.

This study did not have enough women to assess the potential risk of an estrogen/progestin combination on the risk of ovarian cancer.

COLON CANCER

The WHI study found a 37% lower risk of colon cancer in women who took estrogen/progestin than in women not on HRT. For every 10,000 women taking estrogen/progestin, 10 will develop colon cancer; of 10,000 women not taking HRT, 16 will develop the disease. This is a relatively new finding, and further studies are needed to confirm these results.

GALLBLADDER DISEASE

Several studies have shown that women who use estrogen/progestin therapy are at increased risk of developing gallstones.

URINARY INCONTINENCE

HRT has not been found to improve or reduce the incidence of incontinence after menopause.

DEPRESSION

Studies have shown that women who suffer from common vasomotor symptoms of menopause, mood swings, and sleep problems benefit from HRT in the overall quality of their life. However, there is no scientific evidence that HRT is helpful in the treatment of major depression.

ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

Studies have not shown that HRT slows down the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Studies are ongoing as to whether there is any benefit to HRT with regard to other memory loss.

SIDE EFFECTS FROM HRT

As with all medicines, there are side effects associated with HRT. Some women taking HRT may experience water retention, bloating, nausea, breast soreness, mood swings, and headaches. Changing the dosage or the form of HRT may help to alleviate these side effects.