(Glen Pyle/ The Conversation) — Hormone replacement therapy for post-menopausal women was once seen as a fountain of youth. Studies showed regular estrogen supplementation decreased the risk of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in women.
This idea came crashing down in 2002 when the Women’s Health Initiative trial in the United States reported an increased risk of coronary heart disease, invasive breast cancer, stroke and pulmonary embolism in women receiving combined estrogen and progestin hormone replacement therapy. The trial was stopped early based because the health risks exceeded the health benefits.
However, a new study from our laboratory at the University of Guelph suggests that it might just be a matter of time before estrogen therapy makes a comeback. (…)