FDA Launches Campaign on HRT Benefits, Risks

WASHINGTON--On Sept. 9, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), along with two legislators, launched a national information campaign to raise awareness about the risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for menopausal women.The agency created the campaign after the release of a 2002 report that showed HRT might cause more health problems than it solves. (For more on that story, visit www.naturalproductsinsider.com/hotnews/27h915257.html.)

"It is very important that women realize that this beneficial therapy also carries significant risks," stated FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan, M.D., Ph.D. "Our recommendation is that if you choose to use HRT for hot flashes or vaginal dryness, or if you prefer it to other treatments to prevent thin bones, take the lowest dose for the least duration required to provide relief."

Reps. Henry Bonilla (R-Texas) and Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) were on hand to lend their support when McClellan announced the campaign. "The choice of whether or not to undergo HRT is a decision that will affect all women at some point in their lives," DeLauro said. "That is why it is critical that women have the information they need so they know their options and can make the right decision for them."

The campaign provides tools to women who want to learn more about menopause and HRT, including fact sheets and a purse guide that lists questions to ask a health care professional. These tools are found at www.4women.gov, the site of The National Women's Health Information Center, which also has information on alternative products for menopausal relief. "There are other products, such as soy, ginseng, black cohosh and flaxseed that women use to relieve symptoms," the center stated. "But are they safe? . The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) at the National Institutes of Health is supporting research to find out."