Educating patients about the benefits and drawbacks of hormone replacement therapy

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) influences many aspects of health: climacteric symptoms, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, breast and endometrial cancer, thrombosis and emboli, and Alzheimer's disease. A decision to use HRT may depend on a woman's individual views of the menopausal transition, the postmenopause and its consequences. It is therefore useful that the health provider inquiries about and discusses these issues in a cultural and family context. Health providers and patients should be thoroughly informed about the symptoms associated with hormonal deprivation, the associated risks of osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease, and the potential of HRT to prevent these afflictions. Recent studies suggest that HRT might be particularly beneficial in women who have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (because of left ventricular hypertrophy, diabetes mellitus, hypertension or hypercholesterolaemia, or because they smoke) or osteoporosis. In women who are undecided about HRT, a low bone mineral density measurement might help convince them to start using, or to continue using, HRT. There is also a need to discuss with the patient the effect of HRT on cancer risk. In most instances, women can be reassured about the risk of endometrial cancer. The risk of breast cancer should be carefully considered and discussed with each patient before beginning HRT. In most cases, HRT should not be withheld because of fears about breast cancer, because the protective effects of HRT against cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis outweigh the possible increased risk of breast cancer. When HRT is prescribed, individual regiments should be discussed with the patient, who must be warned of the possible adverse effects. In older women, HRT can be started at half the normal dosage and tolerability assessed before increasing the dosage further.