Hormone Therapy Doesn’t Help Women’s Hearts

Contrary to the widespread conviction that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is good for the health of postmenopausal women, a new study suggests that HRT does nothing to protect against heart disease and may even increase their risk of stroke. HealthDay reports that the study, which analyzed data other studies involving more than 40,000 women who used HRT for periods between seven months to over 10 years, suggest that the harms and benefits of hormone therapy may vary depending on woman’s age when she started the therapy. What does that mean? The researchers found that women who began hormone treatment within the first 10 years of menopause appeared to have a small amount of protection against death and heart attack, and no increased risk of stroke. Wait, there’s more, and it’s not good: these women appeared to have an increased risk of blood clots. The study suggests that the further from menopause one used HRT, the lower the cardiac benefit and the higher the risk of blood clots and stroke.