In July 2002, initial results from the Women’s Health Initiative
(WHI) randomized trial of combined estrogen plus progestin hormone therapy
(CEE + MPA)1 and follow-up data from the Heart
Estrogen/progestin Replacement Study (HERS)2 were
published within weeks of each other. The increased risks associated with
CEE + MPA therapy for postmenopausal women drew wide attention not only among
the clinical professions, but also among the media, including front-page articles
in major newspapers, feature stories in major weekly news magazines, and coverage
by virtually all major television news programs. Neither women taking hormones
nor their physicians could escape the media message: postmenopausal hormone
therapy is dangerous.