A panel of Canadian experts is countering a notion that has gained traction over the past few years that hormone therapy does more harm than good for women experiencing menopause or post-menopause symptoms.
Updated guidelines for treating health issues related to menopause -- commissioned by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada and published in this month's Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada -- say some concerns about using hormone therapy (HT) may be "unfounded."
An SOGC press release on Thursday said that "among the reasons for the update (is) to address some of the enduring myths and misunderstandings generated by early analysis and reporting about the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) research results from 2002."
The expert panel says it wants to give healthcare workers information about the most current clinical evidence.
"Unfortunately, the WHI study created fear that the short-term use of HT for menopausal symptoms will increase your chances of getting breast cancer," said Dr. Robert Reid, the lead author of the update.
"We now see that concern about that risk is unfounded and is the result of a distorted perspective about the influence of HT on breast cancer."
The SOGC said it also commissioned the update as a way to review clinical and research developments since its 2006 Consensus Report on menopause.
The expert panel says a review of research published since 2002 has also placed the WHI results in context so they can be better understood.
"As well, the panel reviewed the original, worrisome WHI findings about HT causing heart attacks in light of new information," said the press release.
"The WHI study incorrectly attributed cardiovascular risks found in older women to newly menopausal women. The panel concluded that HT does not increase the risk of heart attack in younger women experiencing menopause."
The panel's general advice to doctors and healthcare workers notes that hormone therapy is a "viable and safe option" for many women if it is provided soon after a woman reaches menopause and if it is used over a short period of time.
"More and more research literature points to the importance of timing with respect to when estrogen use begins and its relation to risks for breast cancer, heart disease and cognitive decline" said Dr. Jennifer Blake, a co-author of the update.
The update's authors added there is no "one size fits all approach" to treating menopause symptoms.
The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is now suggesting that doctors put women who are having problems dealing with menopause symptoms on hormone replacement therapy. Such treatment should last about four or five years and longer in some cases.
"So that a woman who wants to try and tide herself through that peri-menopausal transition, controlling the vasomotor symptoms -- the hot flushes and night sweats -- with hormone therapy should not be afraid to consider that option," Reid said at a press conference on Thursday.
They also noted the debilitating impact of osteoporosis on a woman's quality of life. The expert panel said that half of women over 50 will suffer a fracture related to the disease in their remaining years.
With files from The Canadian Press
