November 2002 • Volume 8 • Number 11 |
The issues raised by the Women's Health Initiative study of estrogen/progestin therapy in menopausal women have prompted such concerns that the NIH held a two-day meeting to summarize the findings. Barbara Yawn, M.D., M.Sc., of Rochester, Minn., represented the AAFP at the meeting Oct. 23 24 in Bethesda, Md.
In view of the WHI study results and the evidence report from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force on hormone replacement therapy, the AAFP has updated its Summary of Policy Recommendations for Periodic Health Examinations, Yawn told the NIH panel.
The AAFP has moved from recommendations to counsel women on the benefits
of menopausal hormone therapy to counseling on the risks and benefits of menopausal
hormone therapy considering
short- and long-term use separately, she said.
"There is no single recommendation that can be made for all women or for any single woman throughout her mid- and later life," said Yawn. "This complex issue requires joint decision-making between a woman and her family physician in light of individual risks and needs."
Weighing the risks and benefits for each woman is not easy, said Yawn, who recommends the NIH Web site -- http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/women/pht_facts.htm -- for more information. The AAFP's counseling recommendations can be found at http://www.aafp.org/x10600.xml.
FP Report is published by the
AAFP News Department.
Copyright © 2002 by
American Academy of Family Physicians.