Some Surprises, Some Answers, and More Questions About Hormone Therapy: Further Findings From the Women’s Health Initiative

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.