In this article
- How Is Heart Disease Linked to Menopause?
- How Can Menopausal Women Reduce Their Risk of Heart Disease?
- Can Hormone Replacement Therapy Reduce My Risk of Heart Disease?
Can Hormone Replacement Therapy Reduce My Risk of Heart Disease?
For many years, preliminary research showed that estrogen, through hormone replacement therapy (HRT), could possibly reduce the risk of heart disease in women. Other, more recent studies have contradicted the research.
Using data from this Women’s Health Initiative, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) in May of 2012 recommended against using hormone replacement therapy to prevent chronic diseases, including osteoporosis, dementia or heart disease. They weighed any benefits that the hormones may have with their risk of increased heart disease, increased gallbladder disease, slightly increased risk of dementia, and increased breast cancer (with estrogen only HRT).
If you are taking estrogen or combination HRT to reduce your risk of heart disease, talk to your doctor. He or she may recommend other methods of prevention, such as lifestyle changes, and cholesterol- and blood pressure-lowering drugs.