There’s been a lot of back and forth about whether or not it’s a good idea to take hormones during menopause, leaving many women unsure of what to believe.
Now the US Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of experts, has judged there’s enough evidence to make a final statement: they say the harms outweigh the benefits. Hormone therapy is not recommended as a way to prevent chronic conditions that could occur years later like cancer, heart disease and dementia.
Dr. Margery Gass is the Executive Director of theNorth American Menopause Society.
GASS: It is still OK to use hormone therapy in women who have no contraindication, for treating their menopausal symptoms. We’re just not recommending it indefinitely for healthy women who have no other reason to use it.
But not everyone agrees with the recommendation. Cleveland Clinic gynecologist Dr. Holly Thacker says it just further clouds the issue and may deter women from using the hormones at all.