MidLife
PEPI - What lies ahead?
PEPI is expected to release more findings about endometrial changes and about bone loss in the spring of 1995. The effects of hormone therapies on quality of life, including symptoms of menopause, should appear sometime after that. But PEPI cannot answer all of the questions about the effects of hormones. More research is needed to better understand the development and progression of heart disease in women.
For instance, information is needed to answer such questions as:
- How long should hormone therapy be taken?
- What's the best age for a woman to start a hormone regimen?
- Do hormones actually reduce heart attacks and strokes?
- Although current evidence suggests a low level of increased risk of breast cancer in relation to postmenopausal hormone use, does long-term use of these agents further alter breast cancer risk?
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and elsewhere are studying these and other questions about the effects of hormone replacement therapies.
Source: The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
