Greater health risks after women's hormone treatments

Hormone replacement therapy has been a subject of controversy for a while now. A recent study adds to the issues with this menopause treatment. Reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study followed 16,000 women who were prescribed Prempro (an estrogen/progestin combo). The study found that after women stopped taking the hormone replacement pills all benefits wore off as expected. But the study also found that the women had a slightly increased risk of certain cancers.

Overall risk remains low, so the study results don't change hormone replacement therapy recommendations. Doctors currently prescribe the lowest effective dose for women who have uncomfortable symptoms such as moderate or severe hot flashes.