September 2002 • Volume 8 • Number 9 |
There is no single, simple answer for all women regarding HRT," said Barbara Yawn, M.D., of Rochester, Minn., chair of the AAFP's Commission on Clinical Policies and Research. "The Women's Health Initiative study provides important new information that must be added to the existing data." And while the Academy recognizes that FPs need guidance, "we will not rush the process," said Yawn. "Compiling and analyzing this quantity of information takes time."
Over the next few weeks, said Yawn, the commission will review all available information, including the yet-to-be-released evidence report being developed by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is also fielding questions, said Isaac Schiff, M.D., chair of ACOG's HRT task force. The task force was set up in May after the release of preliminary study results, said Schiff. An "urgent" meeting followed on July 25.
Their first goal, said Schiff, is "almost immediate." By Sept. 1, he said, ACOG will issue a statement to its members telling them "under what circumstances it is reasonable to continue to prescribe hormones, and under what circumstances one should consider other medications."
"The second goal is to put the whole subject in perspective," said Schiff. "And that, of course, will have a much longer timeline."
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Copyright © 2002 by
American Academy of Family Physicians.