Hormone therapy is surrounded by misunderstanding, much of it traceable to older research that was over-interpreted and then repeated widely. The result is that many women who would benefit are frightened away, while others take it without their individual risk being assessed.
Who typically benefits. Women with hot flushes and night sweats severe enough to disrupt sleep and work. Women whose periods stopped before 45, for whom hormone therapy is replacing what the body would normally still be producing rather than adding something extra. And women with vaginal dryness, which responds particularly well to local treatment.
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WhatsAppLINEWho needs careful assessment or should avoid it. Anyone with a history of breast or endometrial cancer, of blood clots or stroke, with undiagnosed abnormal bleeding, or with liver disease.
The point most often missed: local vaginal oestrogen used for dryness is absorbed into the bloodstream in very small amounts, and carries substantially fewer contraindications than systemic therapy. Many women who cannot take systemic hormones can still use the local form. These are different treatments with different risk profiles, and conflating them causes needless suffering.