(D.F. McCourt/ Maclean’s) — For women of menopausal age, there are good options to reduce the symptoms of menopause, but there is also a lot of conflicting information out there. Women have to be prepared to educate themselves and advocate for themselves if they want to get appropriate treatment.
About 20 per cent of women sail through menopause without any issues at all. But for the other 80 per cent, symptoms can range from mild to extremely severe. For those with the worst symptoms, any treatment that can provide relief is a life-changing opportunity. Fortunately, we’ve for decades had a very effective treatment in hormone therapy (HT), but it’s been hounded by controversy about the balance of risk and benefit during much of its history. Most recently, a landmark study conducted by the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) caused a lot of fear and concern that HT was putting women at risk of other diseases. But, according to Dr. Robert Langer, one of the study’s principal investigators, that concern is rooted in a substantial misinterpretation of the results.
To properly understand the findings, some background is required. “In the latter part of the 1980s, there was finally enough long-term experience with HT that studies started to come out suggesting that, when started near menopause to relieve symptoms and continued beyond, it was also protective against major chronic illnesses like heart disease, bone fractures related to osteoporosis, and perhaps even dementia,” explains Dr. Langer. “Around this time, some people were starting to recommend that HT could be used even in women who were without symptoms and were well past menopause, with the idea that it might prevent these problematic diseases.” (…)