[Surveillance of hormone replacement therapy]

The prescription of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) requires a pretherapeutic evaluation and an ongoing surveillance during treatment. Pretherapeutic evaluation identifies the indications and contraindications to HRT. It includes a clinical examination, a Papanicolaou smear, and other tests according to the clinical situation. Monitoring of HRT consists of a first follow-up visit 3 months after beginning treatment to assess the effectiveness, side effects, and compliance with the therapy. Following this, yearly medical examinations should be scheduled. This paper describes the most frequent clinical signs that suggest a modification of treatment or the need to perform further investigations.