Menopause: The Benefits of Starting Hormone Therapy Early

without much trouble, others are felled by hot flashes, sleep problems and mood swings. But relief could be on the way for at least some of those women. As researchers distill the latest round of studies into the risk and benefits of hormone therapy, they are feeling more confident that it can help generally healthy women who begin taking it around the time their periods end. "There is more enthusiasm for estrogen as the most effective treatment for most menopausal symptoms," says Dr. Nanette Santoro, director of the division of reproductive endocrinology at the Albert Einstein School of Medicine in New York. But that doesn't mean estrogen is the answer for everyone. "The concept that women who are post-menopausal are a one-size-fits-all crowd is going to disappear soon," Santoro says. First, a little history. Throughout the... [read full story]