IN THEIR TRACKS AND LEAVING
GENERATIONS OF WOMEN SUFFERING
EVEN TODAY.
AS A TREATMENT FOR MENOPAUSE,
THE DATA ON HORMONE THERAPY IS
UNEQUIVOCAL.
RESEARCHERS CALL ESTROGEN AND
PROGUESS TRAIN A FIRST LINE
THERAPY FOR HOT FLASHES, NIGHT
SWEATS, MOOD SWINGS AND PAIN
DURING SEX.
HORMONES REDUCE A WOMAN’S RISK
OF OSTEOPOROSIS, URINARY TRACT
INFECTIONS AND DIABETES.
FOR MOST WOMEN UNDER 60, THE
BENEFITS OF HORMONES OUTWEIGH
THE RISKS.
STILL SURVEYS SHOW MORE THAN
HALF OF MENOPAUSE WOMEN DON’T
USE HORMONE THERAPY, SCARED OFF
BY AN NIH-FUNDED STUDY WAS THE
WHI FROM TWO DECADES AGO THAT
THEY SAY DRAMATICALLY OVERSTATED
THE RISK OF HORMONES.
>> THAT STUDY REALLY MISSED SOME
OF THE FACTS.
>> Reporter: A VETERAN OB-GYN
SAYS THAT THE WHI STUDY LAUNCHED
IN THE EARLY ’90s LOOKED AT
HORMONE THERAPY IN POST
MENOPAUSE WOMEN OVER 60.
IN 2002, RESEARCHERS ABRUPTLY
HALTED THE CITY CITING EVIDENCE
THAT OLDER WOMEN HAD A SLIGHTLY
RAISED RISK OF SERIOUS DISEASES.
BUT THE MESSAGE TO THE PUBLIC
WAS FAR MORE ALARMING.
TAKE THIS 2002 SEGMENT WITH A
WHO RESEARCHER ON "THE TODAY
SHOW".
>> YOU SAW THE RISK OF STROKES
INCREASE BY 41%.
INVASIVE BREAST CANCER INCREASE
BY 26%.
SO WHAT ARE WE TELLING WOMEN WHO
ARE TAKING HRT.
>> NOT ONLY THE SIX MILLION, BUT
ALL THOSE WOMEN WHO EVERY DAY AS
THEY REACH MENOPAUSE HAVE TO
MAKE A CHOICE OF WHAT THEY’RE
GOING TO DO.
>> IT WAS HORRIBLE.
THERE WERE HEADLINES IN THE"THE
YORK TIMES" ABOUT THE HORRORS OF
HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY.
>> Reporter: BUT DR. MALONE SAYS
THOSE RISKS WERE VASTLY
OVERBLOWN AND DIDN’T APPLY AT
ALL TO WOMEN UNDER 60 WHO WERE
STILL IN MENOPAUSE.
>> ALL OF THE THINGS THEY SAID,
THE BREAST CANCER, THE STROKE,
NONE OF THOSE THINGS APPLIED TO
YOUNGER WOMEN.
IT ONLY APPLIED TO WOMEN WHO
WERE OLDER.
>> Reporter: WHAT SHOULD NIH DO
TO CORRECT THE RECORD?
>> WHAT NIH SHOULD DO IS HOLD
ANOTHER PRESS CONFERENCE, IF
NEED BE.
THE MOST COMMON REASON WHY WOMEN
AVOID HORMONE REPLACEMENT
THERAPY, IT IS THE FEAR OF
BREAST CANCER.
>> Reporter: SO WE WENT TO THE
NIH FOR ANSWERS.
DR. AUSTIN CLAYTON IS DIRECTOR
OF THEIR OFFICE OF RESEARCH ON
WOMEN’S HEALTH.
THE CHANGE THAT WOMEN TODAY WANT
IS THEY SAY, LOOK AT 20 YEARS
AGO.
NIH LEFT US THINKING THAT WHO
HORMONES WERE BAD.
THEY SHOULD BRING US UP-TO-DATE.
>> THERE IS A LOT OF NEW
EVIDENCE.
DISCUSSIONS LIKE WE’RE HAVING
ARE THE RIGHT WAY FOR US TO GET
TO AS MANY WOMEN AS POSSIBLE.
>> Reporter: ALL THE WOMEN ON
HORMONES AT THAT TIME WERE TAKEN
OFF.
IT LEFT WOMEN THINKING THAT IF
THEY TOOK HORMONES THEY WOULD
GET BREAST CANCER, HEART DISEASE
OR ALL OF THE ABOVE.
AND THAT’S WRONG.
>> SO AN ANSWER TO A QUESTION
THAT WAS DESIGNED TO ANSWER, BUT
IT DID LEAVE OTHER QUESTIONS
UNANSWERED.
I UNDERSTAND THAT LED TO FEARS
ABOUT MENOPAUSE HORMONE THERAPY.
WE KNOW THAT HORMONE THERAPY CAN
BE SAFE AND EFFECTIVE FOR
RELIEVING MENOPAUSE SYMPTOMS.
THE BENEFITS CAN OUT WEIGH THE
RISKS.
>> Reporter: SHE SAID THE NIH
NEVER MEANT TO MISLEAD WOMEN
ABOUT HORMONE SAFETY.
YOU WILL STILL FIND A LIST OF
STUDIES FOCUSED ON THE HEALTH
RISKS, NOT THE BENEFITS.
>> DOES THIS NEED TO BE UPDATED,
DO YOU THINK?
>> Reporter: HAPPY TO REVIEW
THAT AND SEE IF NEW INFORMATION
NEEDS TO BE ADDED.
WE WANT WOMEN TO HAVE
INFORMATION THAT’S CURRENT TO
MAKE THEIR TREATMENT DECISIONS.
SO IF YOU HAVE CERTAIN
PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS,
INCLUDING A HISTORY OF BREAST
CANCER, RESEARCH SHOWS HORMONES
MAY RAISE YOUR RISK FOR SOME
DISEASES.
THE NIH WOMEN GO TO THIRD PARTY
WEBSITES WHERE YOU CAN ENTER
YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION AND THEN
GET EXPERT ADVICE ON WHETHER
HORMONES ARE A GOOD FIT FOR YOU.
AS ALWAYS, YOU SHOULD CONSULT
YOUR DOCTOR.
GO TO THE MENOPAUSE SOCIETY, AND
THEY CAN CONNECT YOU TO A DOCTOR
WHO IS UP-TO-DATE ON THE NEWEST
FINDINGS ON THIS.
>> IT IS GREAT HOW YOU PRESSED
THE WOMAN FROM NIH TRYING TO
COLLECT THE RECORD.
I CAN’T BELIEVE FOR ALL THESE
YEARS WOMEN HAVE BEEN LIKE,
WAIT, NOW IT IS NOT TRUE.
>> IT STILL PERSISTS.
HOW LONG AGO WAS IT, MARIA, THAT
PEOPLE RECOGNIZED THIS STUDY WAS
OVERBLOWN AND MISINTERPRETED AND
APPLIED TO A POPULATION THAT
DIDN’T NEED IT?
>> THERE IS A LOT OF HEAT AROUND
IT RIGHT NOW.
THERE IS A LOT OF HEAT AROUND
MENOPAUSE.
THERE IS ACTUALLY A NEW HORMONAL
TREATMENT JUST ANNOUNCED JUST
THE OTHER DAY.
AND WOMEN CAN GO AND TALK TO
THEIR DOCTORS ABOUT THAT.
IT IS NOT AVAILABLE RIGHT YET.
BUT IT SHOULD BE IN THE NEXT
COUPLE OF WEEKS.
IT’S EXPENSIVE, BUT IT’S
SOMETHING THAT’S COMING OUT.
SO THERE IS A LOT OF HEAT AROUND
THIS DISCUSSION.
STILL WOMEN WANT NIH TO DO A BIG
CORRECT.
THEY’RE NOT GOING TO GET THAT,
BUT THEY WILL GET THE ANSWERS
THAT YOU JUST GOT THERE.
>> YOU ALMOST GOT IT.
YOU TRIED.
YOU ALMOST GOT IT, MARIA.
ALL RIGHT.
THIS IS A TOPIC EVERYBODY IS