UPDATE ON MENOPAUSE

New Developments That are Changing Patient Care

The pendulum swings from fear to understanding

Executive Director, North
American Menopause Society
Professor Emeritus, Reproductive
Biology, Case Western Reserve
University, Cleveland
Department of Obstetrics and
Gynecology, Cleveland Clinic

Time and study make a difference. So does careful review and reappraisal of existing data. In the past year, the pendulum has swung away from fear of hormone therapy to a better understanding of indications, risks and benefits—an understanding driven largely by the evidence-based position statements of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of phytoestrogens attested to lack of efficacy or weak effect, which helps clear the picture on soy and red clover, but the researchers stressed that the lack of quality control does not rule out the possibility that some products might carry steroidal effects and potential risk.