New Study Offers Help For Symptoms of Menopause

<p>My cholesterol level hangs in the danger zone, despite three-mile daily walks, a low-fat diet and regular doses of hormones.</p> <p>When I recently heard of a new menopause study that showed a different estrogen mix would improve my cholesterol level more dramatically, I faxed the details to my doctor and asked for a new prescription.</p> <p>My doctor, a <a href="http://www.wendysmenopausesupport.com/menopausesymptoms.html" target="_blank">menopause symptoms</a> professor, was more than happy to make the switch. More important, she welcomes the new research just released from one of the best U.S. studies of HRT.</p> <p>My doctor said she didn't feel comfortable to convince somebody to take HRT. "It's my place to share the [spin]knowledge|information|research results[/spin], to do it accurately, to address people's concerns and to persuade them to stay healthy," she told me.</p> <p>The new Postmenopausal Estrogen/Progestin Interventions study - called PEPI - will help doctors give better advice for dealing with <a href="%20http://www.wendysmenopausesupport.com" target="_blank">signs and symptoms of menopause</a>. It doesn't answer all the issues, particularly about links between long-term artificial hormone use and breast cancer. But it does eliminate a major doubt about whether the HRT combinations taken by most women offer protection for heart disease. And it clarifies the best ways to take the hormones.</p> <p>Women already are contacting their doctors about the PEPI study. It was presented not long ago at an American Heart Association meeting and is expected to be published very soon in a leading medical journal. </p> <p>The study is important for other reasons: Doctors and women's groups are more interested than ever on whether HRT is necessary. There's less debate about using hormone replacement short-term to relieve symptoms of menopause, such as <a href="http://www.wendysmenopausesupport.com/hotflashes.html" target="_blank">hot flashes</a>. The bigger question is whether women going through menopause should take them for several years to lower their risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis, two major causes of death and disability in older women.</p> <p>Many nay sayers, including a raft of fresh researchers on the subject, urge caution. They ask: Didn't our grandmothers live happily without taking {spin]hormones|HRT|estrogen therapy[/spin]? Couldn't they cause cancer? Aren't there ways to keep in good health without taking {spin]pills|drugs|artificial substances[/spin]? And who wants to take a drug that stretches out the menstrual period for a year – or even longer?</p>