Case Study

A 50-year-old woman presents for an initial wellness visit at your practice. She reports being in good health. During the interview, she explains that she researched menopause when she began having more time and variability between her menstrual cycles. She read that several diseases become more common after menopause. She reports discussing menopause with her mother, who says that she took hormone therapy when she started menopause. The patient asks whether she would benefit from hormone therapy to prevent the onset of chronic conditions. Her last menstrual cycle was more than one year ago.

Case Study Questions

1. According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation on hormone therapy for the primary prevention of chronic conditions in postmenopausal people, which one of the following statements is correct for this patient?

• A. Hormone therapy should be recommended for postmenopausal people because it is associated with a decreased risk of coronary heart disease.

• B. Use of combined estrogen and progestin therapy should be recommended in postmenopausal people because it is associated with a decreased risk of diabetes mellitus.

• C. Hormone therapy should not be used for the prevention of chronic conditions in postmenopausal people because there is insufficient evidence to weigh the benefits and harms.

• D. Hormone therapy should not be used for the prevention of chronic conditions in postmenopausal people because there is no net benefit.