Hormones: beneficial or dangerous to the aged?

Postmenopausal women lose 75-85 percent of estrogen and progesterone production compared with that in their reproductive years. The marked decrease in estrogen results in changes in the uterus, cervix, vaginal lining, glandular breast tissue, and the rate at which bone loses thickness. Some of these changes result in symptoms which range from unpleasant to disabling. Many of the symptoms can be alleviated by treatment with estrogens. However, recent reports have been linking estrogen usage with carcinoma of the uterus. Postmenopausal women should be treated with estrogens when the situation demands, but the dosage should be kept as low as possible and progestational agents should also be administered.