Once again, medical research has raised concerns about the use of hormone replacement therapy. Women who take hormones for years run a higher risk of Alzheimer's or other types of dementia, according to the findings of the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study.
The study, which involved more than 4,500 women, was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association earlier this week. Researcher Sally Shumaker of Wake Forest University, the study's lead author, says the results suggest women 65 and older should not take estrogen-progestin supplements for any reason.
Last year, researchers abruptly halted a government-run study on hormone replacement therapy citing findings that long-term use of a combined estrogen/progestin pill increased the risk of coronary heart disease, invasive breast cancer, strokes and blood clots in the lungs.
Then, as now, the medical community is responsible for reviewing how it treats older women. Although the newest research findings are troubling at first blush, some experts say the increased risk of dementia is small. Beyond that, the benefits of the therapy appear to vary considerably according to the age of the patient.
Women who are taking hormone replacement therapies need to consult with their health-care providers before making any changes in their health-care regimens. Moreover, women who might benefit from hormone replacement therapy should not be dissuaded from seeking help, because doctors and other health-care providers can offer several treatment options such as limiting the time span during which a patient takes hormones or prescribing low doses. HRT has well-documented benefits such as a reduction in the risks of hip fractures and colorectal cancer.
The bottom line is, women need to rely on their health-care providers to sort through this new research and find the best course of treatment for their patients. They should not overreact to this or any other survey. There are a number of options available to older women to deal with various health-care concerns without compromising their health in other ways.