March 2009 Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource Highlights Molecular Breast Imaging, Canes and Walkers, Training for an Event and Hormone Therapy...( Age might matter: Although estr...),Health

Age might matter: Although estrogen therapy is no longer recommended to prevent serious conditions such as heart disease, there's some evidence that it may offer benefits for women who take it early in menopause. In a secondary analysis of WHI trials, women between the ages of 50 and 59 who took estrogen and progestin or estrogen alone had no increased risk of heart attack. And, it appears that women who started hormone therapy within 10 years of menopause tended to have a reduced risk of heart disease.

Be wary of "safe" substitutes: Bioidentical hormones are made from plant sources and once processed, are chemically identical to hormones made in the body. They have been promoted as safer and more effective than traditional hormone therapy. However, with no evidence that this is true, it should be assumed that bioidentical hormones have the same risks as conventional hormone therapy.

No "one size fits all:" With hormone therapy, there is no single approach that's right for all women. It takes a conversation with a doctor to discuss personal health history, potential risks and benefits and other treatment options to determine if hormone therapy is the right choice.

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