HRT has been a point of controversy for the last 500 years or so… give or take 490 years. Just saying that HRT has caused many people considerable anxiety, and rightfully so. But, some things need a second look as some new research has surfaced.

Recently, many women stopped their hormone replacement therapy to help treat their menopause after a report surfaced linking HRT to heart disease. But, hold on to everything, researchers believe that estrogen may not be quite as bad as once thought, and this is more true for younger women.

Here is the basics of what the research reveals — the study suggests a estrogen has potential benefits for women in their 50s (younger women). However (a big "however"), these researchers are quick to say it's too early to recommend hormones to help the heart (suprise).

Don't get too excited yet… the report confirms eariler studies that estrogen treatment does not protect older, postmenopausal women against heart disease.

The brief history behind this goes back to March 2004. At that time, researchers stopped an estrogen study due to concerns about an increased risk of stroke among older women taking the hormone. Researchers later reported that long-term treatment may be associated with an increased risk of blood clots and dementia (a big downside in my opinion).

And, a bit more history, going back to July 2002, researchers stopped a study of women taking both estrogen and progestin after long-term use of the combination hormone treatment was linked to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and breast cancer among older women.

WebMD is carrying the full story. You can click on their link to the right. They cite the source as:

SOURCES: Hsia, J. Archives of Internal Medicine, Feb. 13, 2006; Judith Hsia, MD, professor of medicine, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. Isaac Schiff, chief of obstetrics and gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; chairman, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Task Force on Hormone Therapy.

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