Hormone replacement therapy at the threshold of 21st century.
The management of postmenopausal women has become a major focus for the medical profession. The menopause era should progress from a period of "chaos" to an orderly understanding of the many issues related to the menopause and hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Although HRT has beneficial clinical effect and positive benefit/risk ratio, understanding of the side effects and weight gain, and, especially, a fear of cancer limit compliance. New data from long-term, controlled, prospective studies on the effects of different HRT schedules on cancer, cardiovascular disease and osteoporotic fracture risk are needed. HRT should be considered either as for prevention or for individualized care since women experience menopause as individuals, care should be taken not to make inappropriate generalizations. The priority should be the administration of appropriate medication to women with the best result in order to improve health care and quality of life. New therapeutic options will offer substantial medical advancement for the treatment of postmenopausal women.
Panidis
D
D
Division of Endocrinology and Human Reproduction of the Third Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 46-48 Mitropoleos Street, 54623, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Rousso
D
D
Kourtis
A
A
Giannoulis
C
C
Mavromatidis
G
G
Stergiopoulos
K
K
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000517:prevention & control; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000517:prevention & control; D017698:Postmenopause; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D020845:Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators / Q000627:therapeutic use
D020845:Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators