[Risk/benefit profile of hormone replacement therapy in postmenopause. From research to practice]

The menopause has been transformed from a marginal subject to a central event of medical interest. The gap between evidence derived from epidemiological research and clinical practice seems to be wider in post-menopausal area than in other fields. Most of the evidence were obtained from observational epidemiological studies and only in part from randomized clinical trials. Current results suggest that hormonal replacement therapy may represent a useful treatment and probably a preventive tool. Nevertheless, given the side effects and the risks involved, greater attention should be given to the individual choices of the women.