Hormone Therapy Study Halted By Government
July 9, 2002
The National Institute of Health (NIH) has stopped a 16,608-woman study on the benefits of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) three years early, concluding that hormones such as estrogen and progestin place women who still have their uterus at risk of developing invasive breast cancer. The decision will most likely have a profound impact on the future of HRT. Over six million American women use estrogen and progestin together to prevent menopausal symptoms such as osteoporosis, sleep disturbances and vaginal dryness.
According to a spokesperson for the NIH's Women Health Initiative, which sponsored the study, the benefits of the hormones do not outweigh the risks of breast cancer, strokes, heart attacks, and blood clots. Women involved in the trial had been taking the estrogen/progestin combination sold as Prempro or a placebo for five years. The study had not planned to conclude until 2005.
The NIH is allowing a smaller inquiry involving just the use of estrogen in women who have had a hysterectomy to continue. Estrogen, unless balanced by progestin, can cause uterine cancer.
-- Article Courtesy of InjuryBoard.com
More ...
- Premarin: Overview
- JAMA Study Links Hormone Therapy With Breast Cancer
- Combination HRT Linked to Early Stroke Risk
.