Warning against late start to use of hormone replacement therapy
A new British, Australian and New Zealand study has confirmed earlier work showing an increased risk of heart attacks and blood clots for women who start hormone replacement therapy (HRT) many years beyond menopause.
The study, in the British Medical Journal, echoes the 2002 US reports that women aged 50-79 who took a combined oestrogen and progesterone pill were at greater risk of stroke, breast cancer and blood clots, compared with those given a placebo.
The latest study, involving nearly 5,700 women, was stopped before its planned 10 year review period, following the US results. The later study also showed increased risks of heart attack and blood clots even after just one year. However, the researchers stressed that those starting HRT under the age of 60 need not be concerned as the benefits outweighed the risks up until then.
