Menopause Society issues HRT advisory. (Many Questions Remain Unanswered).

CHICAGO -- A report by the North American Menopause Society offers recommendations on the use of hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women but leaves many pressing questions about the therapy unanswered.

The effort to provide clinical guidance follows recent findings from the Women's Health Initiative suggesting that the combination hormone replacement therapy (HRT) product Prempro does more harm than good in postmenopausal women, particularly regarding breast cancer and cardiovascular disease risk.

The report drew vigorous applause as it was presented at the annual meeting of the North American Menopause Society by NAMS President Dr. Margery Gass of the University of Cincinnati and Dr. Wulf Utian, NAMS executive director.

Members of the 10-person advisory panel that developed the recommendations fielded scores of questions from attendees seeking clarification of the data from the WHI and the Heart and Estrogen/ Progestin Replacement Study (HERS)--the impetus for the report--and guidance on how to advise patients about hormone therapy in light of the findings.

There were at least as many issues in regard to the use of HRT that went un-addressed or unanswered by the panel's report as there were issues upon which consensus was reached.

Based on the evidence from WHI and HERS, the panel agreed on the following: